


【File〗

by Zell_Hatoule



Category: Astral Chain (Video Game)
Genre: AKA Let Max Dad, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don’t copy to another site, F/F, F/M, Gen, Jin Wong is not paid enough for this shit, Jin never lives the Solitaire joke down, Legions (Astral Chain) are Loyal, M/M, Man Fuck the Commander, Misaki has PTSD, Multi, Neuron is Badass, Player Character's name is Misaki, Time Travel, slowest of slow burns, spoilers galore, 【Misaki's chapters are in this bracket style】, 〖Jin's chapters are in this bracket style〗
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2020-10-11 09:00:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 71,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zell_Hatoule/pseuds/Zell_Hatoule
Summary: A collection of data, programs, etc., stored in a computer’s memory or on a storage device under a single identifying name.OrFiles allow someone to relive the events of the case. Jin accidentally going along with Misaki ends up rewriting history.





	1. 〖Lost〗

**Author's Note:**

> Unable to find one's way;  
Not knowing one's whereabouts.
> 
> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

Misaki Howard needed a  _ break _ .

Jin watches Misaki out of the corner of his eye as she attempts to eat sandwiches one-handed, fending her Beast Legion off gently with a the other to the amusement of Alicia. She scratches it under the chin when it finally gives up; or rather, when it changes tactics. It licks her hand, tucks its head on her feet, and whines piteously at her. She spares it a smile, and, when Alicia looks away, feeds it a quarter of the beef sandwich.

She freezes when she realizes he’s watching. Jin allows a twitch of a smile, a deliberate turn of his head so her moment of vulnerability is shielded. Misaki is so _relieved_ when he does so. She relaxes minutely as she finishes feeding her Legion the quarter sandwich, wipes her fingers clean, and returns to the portable computer she’d brought with her. The holographic screen floating before her flickers as she goes back to typing her reports. Jin finishes his own sandwich, swallows, and reaches for his cold coffee to hide his frown.

Misaki’s head is bowed, frame tiny and closed in, shoulders bunched up and legs pressed tightly together. She is not a small woman by nature - before this whole mess, she’d been loud and carefree, running by Akira’s side and causing as much mischief as her brother, gap-toothed smiles and enthusiastic laughter. She’d taken up space in the world; had been a splash of happy color.

There is none of that now. She is unobtrusive, as invisible as the chimeras they still fight on the outskirts. Misaki only speaks when spoken to, observes in silence more often than not, prone to taking off to handle issues that few knew anything about. Jin kept his eyes on her, watched her often and rarely - _too_ rarely - offered her aid where he could that she accepted when _she_ could. Max would have _hated_ to see his daughter like this, a meek thing unable to step out of her own shadow. Jin finishes his meal, takes his plate and hers. The young woman takes that as a cue to leave herself, steps quickening as Akira enters with his own meal.

Misaki ducks out without even an apology, and he can see how her twin’s shoulders slump, defeat on his face as she hurries away from him. A close questioning of her after the events at Noah had told him much of what he needed to know - she’d apparently been forced to kill him, and that would be enough to break anyone’s sense of closeness with their twin. He pats Akira on the shoulder gently, tilts the boy’s head to a side, and tries for a reassuring smile.

“ Give her time,” he says. And though his lips are twisted in a frown, Akira nods, uncertain gaze flicking to the door Misaki had left through.

_ These kids didn’t deserve this _ , Jin thinks to himself, expression somber.

He heaves a sigh, and heads up to file the reports for the day. Misaki is already there, gaze sightless as the young woman types away at her PC, intensely focused upon her screen as though it held all the answers in the universe. A defeated sigh blows past her lips as she stares down at it, shoulders slumping as something she receives clearly doesn’t agree with her. Jin passes her by, pats her shoulder gently so as to comfort her, if only minimally. She looks up, startled, before offering him a meek smile that he returns, pulling his seat up and turning to his own computer to file his reports. Jin had originally been part of the tech division, and sometimes, he misses it - the simplicity of getting all his work done without worry, being able to know his work had helped someone other than him.

Max had _changed_ all that, had seen his potential and dragged him - kicking and screaming - into Neuron as a field agent. Some days, if Jin could have been a little less in love with Max and the others, he would have cheerfully strangled the man without reservation. Jin types away, fingers flying over the keyboard as he fills in his training report; keeps half an ear out for Misaki as she resumes her own work, weary typing filling the air aside from his own. She’s brittle, ready to crack around her edges. Jin stretches his body out, feels his back crack satisfyingly, before looking around.

Fuck… it was  _ late _ , he realizes, having been at the computer for longer than he originally intended. He’s the last - no, not last, Misaki was still here, typing away with her thousand-yard stare into the computer. He steps forward, carefully places his hand on her shoulder to quietly pull her off and to bed.

He has a moment of registering something going wrong when the world grays out, the two of them tumbling into the ground. Jin gives a grunt of surprise and pain, rubbing his hand from where it feels like pins and needles. He stands up, frowning.

A gate in _HQ_? That really couldn’t be true. There’s no way the scanners wouldn’t notice a damn _gate_ there.

Jin’s alone, Misaki nowhere to be found. He’s got no outdoor gear on him either, and he curses himself.  _ Always be prepared, dumbass _ , Max would say, with a slap on the back hearty enough to knock Jin off his feet and make Alicia burst into near-hysterical laughter at him. Jin has his baton on him, small mercy, and a quick pat-down shows that he has his usual prepacked supplies, including one protein bar. He tries his IRIS, and to his relief it works. But that’s it. He has no Legion, has no visible defense against the dangers of this world. But since he can’t see a way back, he starts walking.

There’s no direction nor explanation for where he is or where he’s going, the blue ground shifting under his feet. He has nothing to explain what’s going on to him, and the IRIS reading shows little that helps. He takes a deep breath; feels jitters run up his spine. It’s not the same place he’d been sucked into to save Misaki - there was no hostile red presence that watched their every move. Rather, there’s a sense of endless peace, tranquility even, as he walked alone.

It felt… Like having _his_ Legion back.

God did he _miss_ his original Arm Legion something fierce. He hated having been forced to sideline himself instead of moving forward by Misaki and Akira’s side until after the threat had passed. Wars waged by _children..._

He scowls to himself; breaks into a light jog. If he’s here, he might as well canvas the area, see if he can find  _ something _ . Traversing up and down sloping, lazy inclines only unveils more wonders, brilliant crystalline grounds of shimmering white and blue, glittering with all the beauty of a gemstone set to a light. Thankfully the IRIS blunts his vision, and he can identify some landmarks. It’s unusually reminiscent of the Astral Plane, and he slows down as he crosses a bridge, a familiar head of hair catching his eye.

“ Misaki!”

He calls for her, but is disappointed - she cannot hear him from such a distance. He has to find a way down, and by the time he does, she’s gone - out of sight yet again. He curses under his breath, but moves on, looking for her actively now that he knows she’s nearby. He catches her biosignal, and puts on a burst of speed, determined to catch her this time. He slows down once she’s in sight, and has to suck in a breath.

She looks  _ peaceful _ . Her hair is no longer the bone-white it had become from merging with her Legion; instead the thick, dark brown it had once been, brown eyed once more as well. She is  _ smiling _ , blissfully at peace. She pushes her hair out of the way, watches a gate open before her with a sort of comfortable air about her. She walks through, and stunned, Jin watches, before springing into action and chasing after her, the two disappearing from the peaceful, blue-wreathed rift plane.

He’s falling again, through a bright liquid-like place that reminds him of the swimming pool he’d visited often as a child, the ripples of light playing through his hair even as he watches the surface of where he’d left fade from sight.

And then he wakes up, jerking to sit up with a shortness of breath, chest heaving as he tries to process what the _hell_ just happened. He was in bed, and his hand snaps out to slam hard on the alarm just as it begins to blare, hours before reveille was to sound. He rubs his eyes, gropes for his glasses and puts them on with a weary groan, sighing in relief when the world around him sharpens. He reaches for his phone, and blinks at the time and date.

A single blink doesn’t change the date. Nor does another. A third blink yields exactly the same results.

He takes a breath in, sits up, and buries his head in his hands. He needs a  _ minute _ . He remembers this day like the back of his hand. This was the day the twins joined and things went to shit.

Jin Wong does what any respectable officer who suddenly finds themselves in a snafu of epic proportions would do.

He screams into his pillow and goes looking for liquor.

Max finds him nursing a glass of whiskey, and the pain of seeing his old friend _alive_ is nearly as strong as the relief. Max pauses; stares down at Jin with a tilt to his head. Jin’s not a prolific drinker. He’s got a high tolerance, born from his childhood rebellion and life on the darker parts of the streets as a teen. After becoming an officer, he’d sobered up aside from rare occasions where he just _desperately_ needed some kind of alcohol.

“ You look like you’ve had a hell of a night,” Max says mildly, taking a seat and snagging the bottle to pour himself a finger’s worth of whiskey. He tosses it back with aplomb, smiles at him, and reaches out to clap a hand on his shoulder. “Night terror?”

Max doesn’t push beyond that, giving Jin an understanding smile. Max takes the bottle away, storing it where the rookies can’t find it, refilling his glass with cold water on the way back. He takes a seat across from Jin, relaxing like the water was better than whiskey.

“ Of a kind,” Jin says groggily, takes another swig of his drink. Max indulges him for a little while longer, knowing he doesn’t drink without reason. Eventually Max takes what’s left in Jin’s glass and chugs it down himself. Jin glares blearily at him,too numb in more ways that one to stop him.

“ It has to be  _ something _ , given you don’t drink when we plan to spar,” Max jibes gently, trying to get more than a quiet grunt of acknowledgment. 

Jin can’t look Max in the eye, not without some sort of breakdown. He pats a hand over Max’s own, drinks the water shoved into his hands and takes the hangover medicine when Max procures it for him. Jin doesn’t say anything; shakes his head free of the fog that was in it.

“ I’m fine now,” he says, wipes his mouth clean. Doesn’t look at Max. “I just gotta wake myself up, and I’ll take you on for that spar.”

He can _feel_ the weight of Max’s incredulous gaze. But instead of pushing, Max snorts and claps Jin on the shoulder.

“If you can fight after downing most of that whiskey I’ll be _impressed_,” Max chuckles, but leaves him with clear intent to push Jin for answers later. Jin could _feel_ the weight of that; he drinks his water and wishes he had his alcohol back.

_Fuck_ _me_, Jin thinks. Another contemplative breath, and he gets up to go for that spar.

In the midst of it all, it slipped his mind that Misaki had gone through the gate before him.


	2. 〖Spectacle〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An event or scene regarded in terms of its visual impact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm. I'm bad at fight scenes I'M SORRY.  
Also, I prefer to update on Mondays, so I'm adding the chapter in now and you'll see new chapters each Monday as long as my inspiration and my wordcount is good for a chapter. (Yes I know I'm technically uploading on a Tuesday I passed out after work and it's only the ONE TIME)
> 
> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

“ You… got me good,” Max pants, sprawled out on his hands and knees before the incredulous gaze of Jin.

He’d thought that it would end like last time; a crippling loss against his mentor and comrade-in-arms. He hadn’t taken into account the months spent fighting to keep his edge, the desperate and lean times where he’d been working hard just to avoid being cut open by a chimera or aberattion. Nor had he factored in the months he’d spent on the ground floor when Neuron had been out of service, shunted to the side by the _glorious_ Commander. More importantly, he hadn’t thought it would have came back with him

Max is still on the floor, and Jin offers a hand hesitantly; feels relief when Max takes it, chuckling at him.

“Man, I’ve been _slacking_ \- or you’ve been holding out on me,” Max tells him, stretching his arms far above his head and giving a satisfied groan as he does so. “I guess being half-drunk just improves your chances, huh?”

He’s teasing, and Jin indulges himself in a glare. Much of the pain of seeing his partner alive had faded during the - admittedly brief - spar, and Jin simply rolls his eyes; pretends he isn’t hurting in so many different ways.

“ Just proof you’re getting old,” Jin remarks snidely.

Max puffs up, indignant, before it blows out into a hearty laugh.  “ You must really be feeling better if you’ve got it in you to snark like that,” he chuckles warmly; claps his hand on Jin’s shoulder and rubs his back comfortingly. “You know, I was worried for a moment when I saw the way you looked in the canteen,” he remarks, and Jin tries not to tense up too much. “Looked like the whole world was on your shoulders for a minute.”

Jin’s smile is thin and brittle, but he doesn’t say anything for a moment, instead taking the time to remove his glasses and clean them.  “ Had a nightmare was all,” he says. “You know the kind - the ones that wake you up and leave you feeling like today’s going to end badly. Those kinds.”

_ Not a nightmare _ , he thinks, vows to spend an hour writing down everything he could before it slipped through his fingers.

Max grimaces; rubs the back of his head. “God, _don’t_ I. It feels like almost every day since the kids made it onto the force. Did’ja know, they didn’t even tell their old man!” He clasps a hand to his chest, a wounded look flickering over his face. “If I’d known, I’d have made sure they got to celebrate in style! Tch, kids these days.” 

“ Everyone’s a kid to you, Captain,” Jin laughs, feeling lighter. He loosens up, rolls his shoulders to relax. “Hazard of getting up there in age.”

Max’s squawk is _so_ very satisfying, every annoyed word easing Jin’s frustration and his anger and guilt. Eventually, Max bids him goodbye and goes off to lick his wounded pride. With his absence Jin steels himself for his next task. He could _do_ this.

After weeks of learning to jive with a new Arm Legion, he could never really fit with it. His original had been with him since the start of Neuron, handpicked for him by his Captain, and he’d done his level best to take care of it. In a way, losing his Legion had been more of a betrayal than it trying to kill him. It had felt much like losing a best friend. Trying to replace it had been agony. He and his new partner had never clicked; didn’t have that comforting ebb and flow that had been their bond, both aware and trying too hard and too much for something that didn’t exist.

_But what would it feel like _now_?_ he wonders. And after another minute of silent pep-talk, he summons his Legion.

It’s slow - a creeping warmth that fills his palm where his Legatus is, spreads up his arm and fills his lungs and heart with warmth and joy. It’s like being wrapped in a hug - the best kind of hug, from someone who knows _exactly_ how to give one. Emotions flicker through the chain links as his old partner materializes before him, full of affection and warmth and an odd familiarity.

_Lost-Jinfriend-hurt?_ The questions are tentatively pushed along the bond, the chains vibrating and tossing little sparks into the air. _Jinfriend-ally-optimal?_

He reaches his right hand out, places it on the crest of a head, thumb rubbing over the top with a fond, almost whimsical smile. It feels _good_ \- better than he remembered. There’s more _power _to it, their bond weighed down by the strength of the connection. He knows they hadn’t been this close, but he can’t pin down what’s changed. He remembers his time with his partner with nostalgia, but knows objectively they hadn’t been _this_ close.

“ Hello again, old friend.” Jin murmurs the greeting, sends along his own feelings of affection and care as it pulses back in the Legion’s direction.

The Legion doesn’t quite understand, but jangles happily at him all the same.  _ Jinfriend-happy. Missed-Jinfriend-missed-me? _

Legions were a tough bunch to understand. They weren’t made for spoken languages. The chimeras creatures of recorded memories and nothing more, Jin had originally been spoken to with pictures, smells and thoughts. What little they’d been able to teach their Legions in the year and change since Neuron had started up were mostly commands, but Jin had seen how his Legion would sometimes curiously stare at bookstores when given a chance to loiter.

He regrets not indulging his partner now; scratches the shell gently.

If he’d treated his Legion better, would it have stayed? Would it have been part of his team even after being stolen from him in the Astral Plane? He concentrates on the blue plane, the odd feelings of what had happened before he woke up. His Legion considers them, head tilted.

It parses words together, snatching them from his mind to make sense:  _ Badthing-happening-Jinfriend-worried _

Jin nods, slow and careful.

The Legion hums.  _ Badthing-nothappenyet? _

Another nod to confirm, and the Legion seems to sit; watches him shrewdly.

_Jinfriend-change-badthing?_ it suggests and Jin shrugs helplessly. He doesn’t know if he can. His Legion surprises him. It frees itself from his touch to punch a fist into its hand, radiating determination. _Jinfriend-change-badthing. Badthing-canbepunched. Punchlots._

Jin can’t help the snort that leaves his lips, and he laughs when it looks at him in confusion.

_Funny?_ The Arm Legion asks, and Jin pats the top of its’ head.

“ Very funny. I don’t think we can punch it lots, but I’ll let you try.”

His Legion vibrates happily under his fingers, and he dismisses it; allows it to rest. He has to write a _lot_ of shit down. He can’t safely write it on his computer, so he opts to find Marie, who is the only person he knows off the top of his head with the knowledge to find the supply closet.

She’s mopping away at the floors, and when she sees him, she nearly trips over herself to salute him.

“ Specialist Jin!” Marie yelps, and he indulges her with a smile, salutes her back. She relaxes visibly at the sight of his smile, and he props his hands on his hips; waits for her to put the mop away. “How can I help you?” she asks, and he smiles at her once more, charmed.

“ I was looking for a notebook. I’ve had… mmm.” He pauses for a moment, tilts his head to a side. She copies his movements, tilting to one side like a beansprout leaning towards sunlight. Cute. Jin settles on, “Some issues with remembering my dreams lately. I was hoping you might know where I can get one?”

Marie pauses; stares at him in silent curiosity. It lasts only a moment. She digs through her pockets, and pulls one notebook out. It’s a sad little thing, pages drooping and tiny - and filled to bursting with notes, which impresses him a little.

“ Like this?”

He stares wanly at it; allows his unimpressed expression to answer for him. Marie wilts visibly under his gaze, and he raises an eyebrow at her. Marie sputters, “I-I mean, there are larger ones, if you want it?”

Jin chuckles at her nervous eagerness, and nods. “A bit bigger if you’d please. I’m trying to remember as much detail as I can.”

Marie nods and scurries off. Jin debates it, before deciding to follow her, keeping a steady pace to her hasty one. She’s efficient; takes the best routes to the supply room, and he memorizes the route for himself. Marie is a quick one, pressing a thick, leather-bound journal into Jin’s grasp less than a minute into her search of the supplies. She smiles at him, and he nods at her, grateful.

“ Thank you, Marie. Your help is most appreciated,” he tells her, and she beamed at him, skipping back to work, only to trip over a discarded box. He flips the notebook open and ignores the comical flailing, nods to himself and begins to walk away from her, a steady pace that quickly picks up as he heads back to the main floor.

Things going to hell wasn’t on the schedule until later in the evening, so he felt perfectly justified in taking a little time for himself. It’s going to be a lengthy task, he realizes, and gets up to grab a snack for himself from the canteen, stuffing it in his pocket for later. Today is a rare day for him. He remembered how bored he’d been, with no paperwork to do, with the worst of it being a brief scuffle between Joey and Alan over who would be getting the new Legions, and mourns for it briefly. He pauses right before he puts pen to paper; stares down at it.

He’d been about to write in English. There was nothing _wrong_ with the language, he supposed, but this wasn’t just some _idle_ meanderings of his, of a dream or fantasy that had gone wrong and he was writing it to pick apart and psychoanalyze later. This was _important_ and dangerous and if it ended up in _anyone’s_ hands who could read it, let alone the **_Commander_**, things would go to the Astral Plane.

Probably literally.

Jin sighs, breathing out from his nose as he considers, rolling his shoulders. There were few languages left in the Ark that were commonly practiced. Of those languages, the only one he knew that was universal was English courtesy of the Americans having been working on floating cities a decade ahead of the rest of the world. They’d been planning to use the artificial islands for _food_ of all things.

_ Americans _ .

He gives a rueful chuckle, and thinks about it; twirls the pen between his fingers. Few people realized that Jin wasn’t a full-blooded Japanese outside of his immediate circle - not that there was such a thing anymore, given the tiny population pool and the panic over the inbreeding now that most of the world had been eaten by chimeras - but it had been _well_ known in his youth, and much of the reason he’d been such an angry child. There were only so many times a boy could be called a _Chankoro_ or a _Chink_ or a _Slanty-eye_ before giving in to the murderous desire to punch someone in the face

It hadn’t mattered that he was half-Japanese in the predominantly Japanese Zone 47; he still had a mother who had sullied herself with his father, tainted their ‘noble’ bloodline. After a few years of punching noses in and breaking more than a few bones, Jin had gained enough credibility to be left alone, and those who had dared to go after him often found themselves on the receiving end of his _fist_. He’d run with a small gang of similar half-blooded miscreants… until Max Howard had found him during a gate opening in his home district, defending some of the other half-Chinese kids against a handful of Aberrations. His supposed _crew_ had left him high and dry with _children_, and he’d had nothing to do with them since.

* * *

“_Dammit, why won’t you just _die _already!” Jin snarls, smashing the face one more time for good measure, the frightened gaggle of children behind him squeaking in terror as he uses a vicious overhead swing to finally kill the damn thing. Once he’s _sure _it’s the last one, he limps over to the kids, winces at the gash in his leg. “Hey. Hey, you’re safe now,” he says gently, leg buckling as he uses the pipe to keep standing. “We need to move though. It won’t last forever.”_

_ The children nod as one, clinging to one another. Jin forces himself to stay still; wraps his leg with a bandage as tight as he can handle. He just needs to last until the kiddos are home free - then he can collapse. He’s limping, and he knows it doesn’t make for a picture of confidence for the assembled bratlings, but he flashes them a confident grin before he tugs up his face mask; digs his weapon into the ground as a makeshift cane. A tiny hand latches to the back of his hoodie, and he lets it, limps slow and determined and angry towards the direction of the only shelter in this part of the district.  _

_ Nobody had come looking for them once the alarm had sounded. Nobody cared for them,.  _ Slanty-eyed little Chinks, who would miss them _ , he thinks with a snarl, swinging his pipe at the next Aberration that dared come close. It went down in silence, thankfully, his pipe catching it in the throat instead of allowing it to make noise and alert the rest. _

_Jin would be _damned _if he let those smug snakes live while these kids were forced to hide and die in a flimsy excuse for a building. The Aberrations could touch these kids over his dead fucking body._

_Of course, fate wasn’t being particularly kind that night, and he could feel his strength waning. He’s bleeding, of course. He’s no cop, has no fancy gun or sword or baton to make these things go to sleep forever, only a pipe bat and some barbed wire wrapped around the damn thing to make it hurt _real _good for any normal goon that came into his path. That was it. And despite his best intentions… he was going to fail. Like every other person who had been outside a shelter, the Aberrations getting him was inevitable._

_ He directs the kids away from the corpses, knows at least one of them is an Aberration waiting to rise up and eat them. He limps up the slanted pathway and readies his weapon. _

_ Only, when he swings at the next oversized figure, it catches the weapon on a sword. A familiar, blue-and-black sword. _

“ _ Whoa there kiddo,” The voice is warm and rumbling - enough that the gaggle of frightened kids around him relax, peering hopefully around him towards the stranger. “Looks like we’ve got a fighter outta this bunch,” he chuckles; gently moves the weapon out of the way. _

_ There’s another handful of officers nearby, and they swarm around, picking up the children and hustling them to the relative comfort and security of the shelter. He doesn’t put the pipe down, instead hefting it higher, a wary glare locked onto the scene. _

“ _ How do I know you aren’t a trick?” he asks suspiciously, watching the kids with a wary eye, expecting for one of them to turn into an Aberration at any moment. The man laughs outright, pulls off his helmet to reveal a hard face, but one with smile-lines in the corners of his eyes, and salt-and-pepper hair that is way more salt than pepper. _

“ _ You sound just like my kids,” he chuckles, tugs the pipe out of his hand, then carries him - even as he protests with vicious swear words in response - into the shelter. “Relax kid. I just need a better light to see those injuries of yours. Would hate for you to manage to save all those kids and then end up redshifting.” _

_ Jin slumps against the seat he’s unceremoniously dumped on; glowers at the man. But the stranger pokes and prods, gives him something to drink and eat, and then drips some medicine onto his cleaned wounds. The rest of the force is closing up, the doors to the shelter firmly slamming shut as a fine mist comes from above. Some sort of Anti-redshift thing, and he makes sure to pull his mask down and breathe it in without prompting. The cop gives him an approving nod, and his cheeks redden at the clear sign of favor. _

“ _ Thanks,” he says reluctantly, crossing his arms and trying not to turn too red when the cop looks at him, tugging his mask over his face to hide his cheeks. “For saving the kids.” _

_ His mask is back up, but that doesn’t hide his embarrassment when the man gives him a too-understanding smile and claps him on the shoulder. He can’t say thanks for saving him. That would be one too many, and the cop somehow understands that. _

“ _ It was my pleasure. Thanks for holding out long enough for us to find them,” he chuckles, before standing. Jin catches the object thrown to him on reflex, admires the sleek weapon as it vibrates gently in his hand. “And kid.” He looks up at the cop as he makes to leave. “You want a job? Come to the station in District 47 and tell them that Captain Max Howard gave you that baton. Offer’s open anytime.”  _

_ He puts his helmet on, striding back out into the fray with a confident gait. _

_ Three weeks later, Jin screws up the courage to turn in the baton, and two days after that, signs up for the Ark’s police force. _

* * *

Jin shakes himself out of the memory, and looks down, somehow unsurprised to find that he’d filled the first dozen or so pages with neatly inked Chinese characters during his little flashback.  _ Fan _ -fucking- _ tastic _ . A quick skim tells him that yes - it wasn’t the same as what he’d been thinking of. It’s, to his own surprise, a fairly accurate rendition of the mission they’d gone on to save the Howard twins when they’d still not had a Legion of their own. The characters are a little sloppy, but he can read it, even if the slang and the character-slurring might make it impossible for anyone else. It was a source of frustration for most of the force, and a point of hilarity for Alicia, who did exactly the same in Spanish.

Max had _tried_ desperately to get him to write his personal field reports in English once. He’d given up after the third time Jin had handed in an _official _report in slang Mandarin and his personal report in English with a straight face and a deadpan reply on his tongue. Alicia had damn-near choked on her own spit that last time, and Jin could still feel Max’s exasperation, plain as day.

“ SPECIALIST WONG!”

The roar makes him jump to attention, and to his surprise, Max is standing there, tight lines in his face as he looks down the stairs at him. He has a distinct feeling Max has been there for a while.. 

“ Suit up,” he says firmly, drawing close and shoving some gear into his chest. “We’ve got a problem. Gate opened up on the highway.”

Jin blinks, looks at the clock.

Damn right they had a problem. The Aberration attack had started just after sunset the last time. Right now it was still daylight.

Something niggles in his head, even as he races to catch up with his Captain.

This hadn’t happened last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jin Wong might be 100% Japanese or 100% Chinese, I don't actually know, but I know more people whose last name is Wong that are Chinese than Japanese and I'm basing Jin off of that. It is also considered an English surname, as according to Quora, but eh. What's the point of having a multicultural city if you only use like three nationalities.
> 
> Since Legions are also not human, I've decided to address that too, because I want Legion bonding time and I also want to make Jin's life difficult. (I'm nice to my favorite characters like that, you see).
> 
> For fun, I thought I'd remind you guys since it's coming up anyways - Misaki might have been replaying the files, but she wasn't the only _being_ going back in time.


	3. 【Synchronicity】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

Misaki hates the standard-issue motorcycle. She’s not impressed in the slightest with the reaction time, the slow firing rate, or the turning speeds, the same as every other time she’s done this. She yearns for the bike that she had modified and upgraded during slow days, but she can’t do anything about it right now. She had one job: Redo this day again, write down _everything_ she remembered to compare with the last few times, and then wait for the right time, the right moment, where she could prevent this whole mess from happening.

But.

Today hadn’t been going the way it was supposed to. As always, she woke up on the motorcycle, blasting past ruined cars at top speed. But this time she couldn’t hear her Legions whispering in her ear as they always did when she came back, grumpy from the trip through time.

She had no Legions to back her up in this venture. She didn’t even feel their whispers on the edge of her conscious mind. That… was worrying. What concerned her more was that Akira wasn’t talking or panicking over the radio like clockwork. Her brother was nothing if not predictable, and every other time she had lived this file, he’d been worried, and of course in pain, but never silent. She almost sighs in relief when his voice sounds over the unit, shoulders slumping in a little relief. He’s still okay. She hadn’t messed up.

Not too much at least.

She shoots mechanically, dodges and blocks in perfect tandem even as her mind runs calculations and whirs through the fight as though it was just another routine patrol. Given the number of times she’d been on this run, it kind of was. She swerves, left and right, firing mechanically until she’s pulling her pistol out, aiming for a truck --

That wasn’t there.

She yelps, forced to go from one side of the road to another, jarring the suspension as the truck chooses _now_ to barrel in from behind her. This was _not_ according to plan. This was so far from the original plan that she couldn’t even begin to imagine what had gone wrong.

_ Fuck _ , something was going on and she didn’t know what was happening!

Panic is threatening to swallow her whole, wrapping around her throat thick like syrup with the bitter aftertaste of vomit even as she forces herself to keep going despite the sudden fuck-up of the original plan she had in place. It was a good plan too! One she’d come up with after talking to Jin about hypotheticals.

But now wasn’t the time. Now was the time to find her twin, get her damn Legion back, and  _ not die on this damned highway! _

She kicks the motorcycle into high gear, speeding off down the road and wistfully - once again - wishing she had her upgraded blaster. It had been interesting, realizing her gear came back with her, but for some reason it hadn’t this time, leaving her with the bare basics.

It doesn’t take long for her to crash-land her motorcycle directly into the final Aberration, and she heaves a quiet sigh of relief to herself, rolling to her feet. She stumbles into a standing position, dusts her hands off and makes a beeline for the supply crate, yanking out a few medical packs and a protective mask just in case. Given how things have changed, she might as well. She stows them away, kicking the cache shut and heading towards the crash site. There’s plenty there, and she quickly finds the head medic, offers her aid with no hesitation. It’s not any easier, helping the suffering man onto a stretcher, knowing nothing she said would make a difference. She’s been through this a dozen times at least, and it was always the same. Even so, she tries.

“ I don’t think we should load them yet.” She says the words hesitantly to the medic, who observes her in puzzled intrigue. “I ran into some Aberrations in a truck earlier - and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of those cars were occupied.”

The medic is about to correct her, patiently and gently, but a different helicopter swings by at that moment, crawling with Aberrations. She flinches, but redoubles her grip on the civilian rather than let go, gently settling him on the stretcher. She twists her wrist, baton shifting to a blaster as she warily eyes the second helicopter coming in, taking the medic’s nod as permission to enter the contraption. It’s clean, and she gives them some terse advice to take the southwest route back to the hospital - it’s safer for everyone, she says, and they obey her, taking off towards that route and encountering nothing while in her sights.

Akira’s voice is a little more panicked on the line, and she bades the medic goodbye, breaks into a ground-eating sprint to catch up. She’s running on borrowed time. Before… before, she knew how much she could loiter, how much she could wait before needing to catch up, but she doesn’t have that luxury now. Things are _changing_ \- in a way they’d never done before and it scares her.

Her twin is there at the end of the bridge, of course, always unluckily on the ground floor of disaster, and she spares no thought in tackling him to the ground as instinct screams. She can’t see it, but knows it’s there when it lifts the hairs off of the back of her neck. The ground cracks before them, and to her relief, she can feel it.

The faint buzz that felt like her Legion. It was _close_ \- abnormally so.

**_Officers Howard - come in!_** She winces at the noise in her ear, almost yanks it out. **_Corruption levels just shot up in your area. What is going on?_**

She only half listens to her brother as he answers, grasping his hand and yanking him around so that the fuzzy images of the chimeras don’t hit him. They’re as dismissive as they were the first dozen or so times she’s lived this experience. The last attack has forced them to split up, and Akira has gotten the hang of the pinprick feeling of being watched and dodging accordingly, to her relief. One less thing to worry about. And it gives her time enough to do something she’s  _ really _ wanted to do time and time before.

“Oh yes, because we haven’t already checked for an Aberration fighting from a distance already,” she snaps over the line, fed up and feeling more than a little vindictive pleasure at being able to chew them out. “We aren’t just making something up for kicks, we’re _under attack_ and you are _not helping! _Just because rookies get the damn jitters doesn’t mean they’re going out of their _goddamn minds_.”

Akira’s brows shoot up to his hairline, and she doesn’t blame him. Misaki can distinctly remember being quietly polite of authority even after graduating. After over a dozen redos of this, coupled with her poor experience with the Commander, her patience might have been fraying _just_ a teensy bit. Absolutely minuscule amount, she promised. 

Okay. Maybe just a little more spicy than she originally intended.

Akira ducks under another swing, toggles to their private channel. When he speaks, his voice is awed.  ** _Man, sis, you don’t hold back when you’re pissed_ ** **.**

He gives an unheard chuckle, darkly amused in the way those about to die are. He darts over to her, opens his hand in silent question. She tosses her baton to him, and he spins around, shifting both into blasters to nail the invisible foe in the face - or at least, what she guessed to be the face.

She can feel the roar; yanks her twin away protectively, turning her back towards it. The claws that rake over her back only just pierce her armor before it’s blasted back, the dug-in claw tips dragging her back and making her yelp as she’s yanked away from her twin, stumbling backwards and landing flat on her ass. He reaches, tugs her back up to her feet, presses her blaster into her hands and she shifts it into a baton once more, wishing she had the heavy two-hander that had been her bread and butter.

Further thoughts on gear she wished she had are cut short as the chimera gets shot hard enough it skids twenty paces back.

Misaki looks up, and is both surprised and not to see Jin there, his expression shuttered and dangerously narrowed on the chimera. He doesn’t stay up there, instead jumping down to give them both a quick pat-down, touch gentle. She can’t see the fight going on around her, not with her sight full of  _ Jin _ . 

“ No injuries. “My backplate is probably ruined, and I almost twisted my ankle, but no other damage,” she reports, the way she always did to him, almost on instinct, forgetting he wouldn’t know.

Jin hums, soft and knowing, and when she looks into his eyes, she feels her world  _ tilt _ .

Her breath catches.  _ Jin _ was  _ here _ . Misaki would know that world-weary stare anywhere, after being faced with it for nearly a year.

Jin leans in under the guise of looking for injuries; whispers softly to her,  “ Good. I still want your preliminary report after we get out. I have some questions we need to discuss.” 

His tone brooks no argument, and there’s a firm, steel-like quality to his voice. She doesn’t trust her throat to make the appropriate sounds; nods along to let him know she’s heard. Jin steps back, just as Max crosses the bridge, landing in front of them

“ They’re fine Captain,” Jin says the words professionally in the face of her father’s glower.

Misaki teeters slightly over to her twin, who wraps a concerned arm around her; offers her a worried look. She shakes her head to clear it, and Akira doesn’t let go until she’s stable, rubs her back gently. Misaki tenses at the Commander’s voice, and out of the corner of her eye, she can see Jin’s lips thin slightly as the man plays his benevolent scientist role. They share a quick glance, and he nods at her - the barest tilt of his head. Max is arguing with the fake Commander, and she grasps at his hand, squeezes it. It stops them all cold, and she can see the glitter of amusement in Jin’s eyes, and the respect in Alicia’s.

“Captain, the fact that he’s telling you now just means it’s already been done,” she says the words with easy confidence, even though speaking up like this - getting _noticed_ \- makes her stomach rebel. The sight of Jin - safe and warm and _here _\- steadies her. She lets her father go, gives him an arch look, and he glowers down at her, the weight of his annoyance clear. She doesn’t mind it in the least; knows it’s not her Max wants to punch unconscious, and he eventually heaves a sigh, defeat and acceptance in his tone.

“ Fine… Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he grumbles, hands her the familiar device.

Misaki fights off the inevitable relief that swamps her, accepting it and glancing at her twin as he joins her, holding his own and twisting it this way and that in curiosity. Jin tilts his head softly, and turns back towards the chimeras.

“ Go ahead and put them on,” Max says wryly, and Jin rolls his eyes heavenward, conveying some of Misaki’s own exasperation. Jin deactivates his, and twirls it round.

“ Watch me,” he orders, and Misaki does; nudges Akira into doing so as well, her twin curiously observing.

Alicia and Max are fighting in the background, but Jin takes his time to demonstrate, and the twins copy him. It’s _such_ a relief to summon her dear friend once more, and her Legion purrs along their bond, blue pulses conveying delighted joy at their union. Behind her, Akira gives a startled noise, and she turns to face him. Akira’s hand touches the bow, and the Arrow Legion makes a soft crooning noise, wrapping around him fondly, hand petting the top of his head. Awe is on her twin’s face, and she can _feel_ it.

Her Legions had come back with _full_ strength, but hadn’t come _with _her.

Misaki turns her attention back to the fight; feels her twin do the same as he holds a hand out for her to bump with his fist. She does so immediately, sensing his grin. Jin summons his Legion again, and she feels them, reverberating along her senses.

Her grin is just the slightest bit feral, and she can feel her Legion purr along her veins.

“C’mon sis,” Akira’s grin is just as wild, as _free_ as hers, and she remembers him as he was, as _who_ he’d been before Yoseph had ruined him. He’d been _her_ equal, and this time, they could do it _right_. 

She glances at Jin, who tilts his head forward, half-smile on his face as he watches her through dark eyes. There’s so _much_ to process, and not enough _time_, she thinks ruefully to herself. She dodges back and flows silkily through her combat forms as the chimera moves to engage. She can’t sync, and while it’s jarring to be so disconnected from her partner again, there’s something good about it, how it hurts in all the right ways, like stretching a scar.

The sun is beginning to set, and she can feel the fatigue as it begins to set in. It hadn’t been this long before, maybe half an hour of combat at the most, but now…

Her eyes flicker to Jin, who pulls on his Legion’s chain, spins his partner around him and uses his blade to propel him into a kick in the chimera’s face. Akira, by her side, drawing the arrow again and again to fire a headshot into every chimera that comes close. She throws her arm out, and her Sword Legion quickly swoops in, slams into the target and pulls her to it, her baton braining the target effortlessly as she uses it as a springboard and leaps backwards, landing on her feet.

She’s feeling a bit of a burn, but it feels like her stamina and combat capabilities had come back with her. That’s… a very different feeling, having all her strength yet none of her Legions but her trusty Sword. Max and Alicia are too far away for her to tell if theirs have come back too, but she _resonates_ on a different level to Jin and Akira’s Legions. Absently, she wonders how they feel. It’s a unique experience among the many that have happened today, but it’s not a bad one.

Unlike the fact that they were still fighting.

Misaki is starting to wonder - _where_ did that damn chimera go? Had it simply not arrived yet?

She flinches when an ever familiar roar shakes her bones, and she whips around to see Jin blocking an overhead strike, knees buckling slightly as he does so. His Legion has been brutally knocked out of the fight, dissolving into its Legatus to recover. Jin meets her eyes, and grins wearily, bracing himself against the gladius form and driving his shoulder against it. The shove sends him stumbling back, but the deed is done, and he’s cleared plenty of space.

Misaki is sure she’s not the only one who gapes when Jin successfully manages to knock it back, the chimera tripping over its feet. She recovers first, and her Legion happily takes the chance to try and shove a sword into its face.

The chimera dodges, but Max is _there,_ swinging his weapon into its back, Jin rolling to his feet to drive another through the chest of it. It can’t dodge one without getting hit by the other, and she can see when it chooses to take a third option, grabbing for Jin directly rather than his weapon.

“ Get down!” Akira yells, and she ducks, feels a ripple of energy as an arrow passes over her head, snapping the beast’s head back and saving Jin from being stabbed through the chest. She flips her baton into a handgun, firing rounds towards its eyes while Jin retreats. Alicia’s Legion slams into an arm and biting down with prejudice to give them all a little room. Jin takes a while to summon his Legion again, sending it to wind around the chimera’s ankles.

Exhilaration fills her lungs. This was _working_. They were a clumsy team - this was the first live combat they’d ever had together, past _or_ present - and they were making it _work._

Of course, that was when things went to shit.


	4. 【Möbius Strip】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An object with only one side;  
An infinite loop with no beginning or end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

The first sign that things were going wrong was when her father got thrown off the bridge.

Misaki and Akira both send their Legions out after him. Their chains tangle together as they loop around him, yanking him safely back to solid ground.

“ Thank you kiddos,” Max grunts, and Misaki smacks his arm gently, Akira doing the same on the other side, her twin’s sharp eyes picking out the dents in his armor.

“ Oi, it’s Cadet Howard,” Akira jibes, trying for light-hearted despite the rattled tone that comes through the for nonchalance.

Misaki can’t speak herself, her throat tight with terror, and she squeezes Max’s arm hard enough for her father to wince, rub the bruise that was sure to develop on his arm from her tight grip. They don’t have another chance to talk: The chimera giving a feral roar once more, glowing as it begins to absorb the Red Matter. Alicia curses lowly in Spanish, and Jin lets one of his own loose, the twins slanting looks of shock in his direction.

“ Overdrive!” Jin yells over the sudden high-pitched screech. “We’re going to have a gate opening in a few seconds - prepare yourselves!”

Misaki cringes internally, stomach flip-flopping as the cacophony of noise grows ever louder.

She’d heard about Overdrives. They were like a sync for chimeras, where an open gate would drop fodder and Red Matter everywhere for the chimeras to absorb, turning them into mindless killing machines. During her first time, the chimera had died before the Overdrive had hit, and the rest of the chimeras she had faced were almost always on home turf in the Astral Plane.

Max steadies his stance, and Akira readies himself on the other side. Misaki calls her partner, and the Legion hovers nervously nearby; croons quietly into her hair where it nudges her.

Max calls his partner at long last, and Misaki jolts when it turns its head to acknowledge her. The feeling of it is so warm and  _ familiar _ . Max flinches, his head shaking as he eyes his Legion with renewed dubiousness. If Misaki hadn’t been watching, she wouldn’t have noticed it - the wariness that changes into interested befuddlement. At the edge of their group, Alicia’s Beast Legion brushes her senses, circling them –  _ her _ – protectively.

Her Legions _had_ come back with her.

She’d grown so close to them, _her_ Legions, over long days and nights, and she nearly cries. She can’t say anything, not with everyone watching, but Jin knows. He knows her well enough to tell her helpless, wide-eyed stare towards him means _something_ was up. 

Her Legions had _come_ _back with her_.

She’s distracted again by the chimera, as cracking noises fill the air and signal its transformation into a rather … disgusting beast. Bones crack and stretch, mouth gaping as it pushes past the hard shell, cracks its exoskeleton. Even after seeing the Homunculi, this was... gruesome. It gives a final roar as its transformation completes – and then runs towards them, the ground shaking below their feet as it nears.

The shield that snaps into place as Max’s Legion braces itself before them is swift and seemingly occurs without Max’s input. The panels glow bright as the sun, stronger by far than the original had ever been. Max himself appears baffled, but grateful when the chimera rams into the barrier and all the shield does is spark dangerously. Max places his hands on the axe and  _ shoves _ , uses his strength and his Legion’s power to send the chimera tumbling ass over teakettle to the ground in the most ungraceful of manners.

Jin whoops lightly, and hefts his weapon higher, eyes narrowing. Alicia catches up, Beast Legion at the ready, and Misaki breathes a not-so-subtle sigh of relief. She’s _good_ sure. But without her sync rates being what they used to be, that was all she could be: Just _good_. She was durable, of course - the circumstances of her birth _helped_ with that, but so fractionally so she ignored it, typically. Without the extra power her Legions (Legion? She’s not sure anymore) gave her, she was as frail as the rest of the world.

She feels Jin’s hand on her shoulder, and he leans in.  “ You and Akira will circle around. Max, Alicia, and I will keep it busy here. Look for a weak point in its back. We can’t find one in the front,” he murmurs quietly, voice almost lost over the howling din of the Beast and Axe Legions on the assault.

She nods at him, and tugs her twin with a brush of her fingertips. Alicia immediately switches to blasters, going for the eyes to distract it. The pair run behind a car, hoping it won’t notice the loss of two of its’ targets so soon.

There’s enough cars to hide behind that they’re able to get behind the battle. Misaki yanks Akira’s head down before it can do more than cautiously poke above the car. She gives him a jab in the ribs for endangering himself. Gently, of course.

Akira throws her an exaggerated pout and roll of his eyes for good measure, but summons his Legion to quietly discuss tactics with it in hushed tones. The Arrow nudges itself closer to him; gives a silent rumble as it pats his head, much to his confusion, though he lets it. From this vantage point Misaki can see Max is working well with his Legion, the two slamming smooth hits in, covering the gaps left by Jin and Alicia as they run circles around it up front.

A soft tap, and Akira gestures with his fingers, hand dropping to stop just below her shoulder blades. He taps it twice, and then nods towards the chimera. It takes her a moment to see it, but she does, and nods at her twin understandingly. There was just enough hollow space for it to be some kind of weak-point, and it was their best bet.

Akira draws his partner close, and the Legion begins to draw back, gathering energy for a charged shot. Misaki slides to the other side of the car, her Sword following stealthily behind her and bringing her closer to the target. A nod, and it rises above the cars, flying at top speed to wrap astral chain around a torso, pinning its arms down and leaving it free to be hit by Max’s next swing. Jin stops what he’s doing to copy her, and Alicia - though looking a bit dubious - does the same.

One hadn’t been enough. Two had been, though barely. Three chains, however, is enough to hold the frenzied chimera at bay.

Akira leaps over his own hiding place, the shot glowing a faint red around the edges. It’s a true hit - digs deep into the hollow, and is accompanied by a particularly ominous crack as the chimera’s core takes damage. The chains flex wildly, but it doesn’t manage to escape, and Misaki gestures for her partner to go ahead. The Sword Legion aims for the same space again, sword slipping in and dealing a glorious amount of damage, a spray of sparkling Red Matter sailing through the air to show the attack had made an impact.

That’s when the chains begin to crack.

Misaki flinches when at the ringing sound of the protective chains falling reaches her. She sees the trail of a charging assault, a red streak aiming past her, and flings herself across the battlefield to her twin when she realizes who it’s going after.

_ No not him it’s always him stupid loyal sacrificial brother  _ no  _ I won’t let it! _

Of course, so distracted by her brother, she couldn’t see her own father, his expression filled with horror. She manages to wrap around Akira, shielding him from the incoming blast with her body. There’s precious little time, and her partner understands that, bracing before her to protectively cover what she couldn’t. Their familiar bond comes to fruition as she pours everything she has into protecting her beloved sibling, burying her head against his chest. She expects pain, for heat to wash over her skin and blister it, but she will keep her precious twin safe and stop it from going any further.

When the pain doesn’t come, she’s confused. Akira’s grip on her is tight, but she can wiggle free enough to turn and see what had stopped it, blue glow fading.

Misaki gapes.

Gold chains shimmer, attached to a familiar Legion and a more familiar figure. Her father is standing before them both, gold veins glowing up over his neck and towards his eyes, his shield impenetrable as he glares at the threat.

Misaki’s breath hitches. She’d always thought that her ability to sync with her Legion had been because of her mother - because of the redshift that had drowned her and her brother and nearly killed them at birth. But here Dad was, showing her the answer wasn’t nearly so simple.

“Don’t you _dare_ touch my children, you piece of _shit_,” her father snarls, and Misaki feels a flicker of happiness, pulling away from her brother who is also staring at their father in awe.

Max’s Legion is nowhere to be found past the initial block, and Misaki feels a jolt when she sees it again. It shimmers over Max’s skin, almost but not quite in perfect resonance with him. Max’s blade is wreathed by a shadowy axe, his arms overlapping with the Axe Legion’s as they occupy the same space. She can see the Legion look down at them, and remembers that moment in the final, terrifying battle, when the Legion had wrapped its hand around her own. In that moment she had seen her father - or what she had thought to be him, a phantom conjured up in her greatest moment of need.

The Legion turns away, and that deja vu fades. Her father and the Legion move as one, swinging hard at the chimera. The chimera loses an arm, and the rest of the team spring into action. Their Legions all reach towards vulnerable limbs, and Max gives the twins a hard look that has them snapping to attention.

“ You two, go and stay near Alicia and Jin. Let me deal with this one.”

Dad’s voice rumbles like thunder, and Misaki nods with her brother, the two waiting until the chimera is locked in another blow by Max before rushing to the other side. Their Legions doing what they can to harry the monster, providing what cover they can. They lock the remaining limbs in place, and Max brings his sword up, cleaving through armor and burying the blade up to the hilt in the monster’s chest. The glow around his blade intensifies, and he yanks the weapon free. A pulsing glow dances over the chimera, the copy of Max’s sword glowing a brighter shade of gold as it gathers free energy to explode. The detonation blasts out a good portion of the beast’s chest.

Jin shifts, swinging low and cleaving another leg. Alicia matches him and takes out the other. Max’s sword ramming through its head with prejudice keens the final blow.

That does it, and the chimera dissolves, melting away as she watches. Her father gives a grimly satisfied look, putting his weapon away. He rubs the back of his neck, shoulders slumping as he sighs.

Then he staggers, hands coming up to his head, the glow fading as his Legion returns to the Legatus. Misaki and Akira stumble towards their father with cries of worry. Max doesn’t quite hit the ground thanks to Jin, but the way he slumps reminds her of her own first encounter with such a deep sync. With Jin’s help, Misaki lays Max flat on his back, rests his head in her lap as she strokes back his hair. Akira kneels by their father’s side, holding on to his hand tightly. Jin digs around in his pocket and pulls out a slightly crushed protein bar, Alicia on the other side with a bottle of water. After handing the bar off to Alica, Jin stands, his hand brushing against Misaki’s shoulder as he makes to report to Olive.

“ Yeah, we’re fine. We could use the aid of the extraction team though. The bridge isn’t the most stable thing right now…” Jin pauses, listening to the reply. “Okay, got it. We’ll head that way once the Captain’s ready to walk.”

Jin looks down at them, and she can see his own amazement behind those spectacles. “We’ll need to walk a ways,” Jin tells them, reaching out to help Max up, who was already grumbling at the treatment, though with a grateful glint in his eye. “The bridge is ready to collapse, but there’s enough space at the mouth of the tunnel that way,” Jin gestures towards the direction Misaki had come from, “for them to pick us up without destabilizing the bridge any further.”

Akira takes a spot by their father’s side, allows him to sling an arm over his shoulders. Jin waits until her father finishes cramming the protein bar in his mouth, shoving the wrapper in his pocket before allowing Jin to support his other side.

Jin directs, “You ladies take point. They say the gate is closed, but I think we’ll all feel better if we have our blasters in hand.”

Max manages a grunt around his mouthful of protein bar. Alicia smiles ruefully, but obediently shifts the X-Baton to a gun, Misaki doing the same on the other side.

“ This debrief is going to be  _ interesting _ ,” Alicia murmurs, and Misaki makes a noise of agreement. After all the shocks she’d been through, she couldn’t help but echo that sentiment herself


	5. 〖Entanglement〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Better known as Quantum Entanglement. A phenomenon that occurs when individual particles are so closely intertwined that even with a large distance gap they cannot be reliably described independently of one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

Jin has seen a lot in his life. Nothing could have prepared him to watch his Captain, his friend and _partner,_ to activate a sync rate equal to Misaki’s level. But then again, when had Max _not_ tried for the impossible when his kids were involved? Max had _shattered_ boundaries for his children before. It amused Jin, on some level, that this boundary had been annihilated to protect his children from harm.

“I must say that I am _very_ impressed, Captain Howard.” The Co- _Yoseph’s_ voice sounds idly intrigued, and Jin fights back a scowl; forces neutrality onto his face. As a precaution he carefully shifts to half-hide Misaki behind him, Akira mirroring on the other side. If Yoseph notices, he doesn’t react, instead continuing: “I did not expect such a sudden synchronization between you and your Legion. Were it not for the fact that you were defending your children, I would have doubted the report when it came through.”

Max bristles silently, expression darkening into a glare. Jin wishes he dared to mimic his expression; settles for knowing that there would be hell to pay later for this arrogant monster. Misaki is a bit pale, and Akira is blatantly ignoring protocol, hovering over his sister in clear worry.

With a hum better described as frosty than concerned, Yoseph noted,  “ However, I fear if I keep all of you any longer, Brenda may have my head. We can properly finish this debrief when you’ve all been checked out. Go see Brenda, and come back once you’ve all been cleared.”

Akira’s expression morphs into clear relief, swooping in to catch his sister in his arms as she sways. Jin is closer, however, and he easily captures Misaki, hefting her up into his arms despite the displeased expression on Akira’s face. He gives the boy a reassuring smile, and Misaki holds his hand affectionately, brown eyes filling with rare warmth for him. Max is waiting impatiently by the doors.

“ Go help your father - he looks ready to keel over,” Jin notes, a sly smile on his lips.

That does the trick: Akira immediately homes in on how his father is favoring his right side and scurries over to shore him up, ignoring the squawk that the attention gets in response. Alicia snorts; walks over to gently poke Max’s side and forcing him to admit to his pain. Jin follows along behind; feels Misaki shudder against his chest, her breath evening out as she begins to relax. Now that she doesn’t have to hold herself up, she slumps bonelessly against him. Jin could only imagine how she was feeling, with so many things that had happened.  _ And _ facing off against Yoseph to top it all off. He himself still had to interrogate her, curious as to how knowledgeable she’d seemed.

But that was a conversation that had to be done in private. Police HQ was _not_ private.

Jin follows behind the bickering trio, laying Misaki out on the bed closest to Brenda’s desk and stroking her hair back gently as he does so. After an aggrieved rise in noise level, Jin gives an exaggerated roll of his eyes at her, making Misaki smile slightly. Jin pulls the curtain across so Max can see his daughter. Once that’s done, he flicks his Captain on the nose, knowing he’s pushing it when Max’s eyes narrow.

“ Captain,” Jin scolds gently, mindful of what he can’t say, “you’re providing a bad example to our newest members.”

Max glares at him, good eye narrowing as he continues to stand there, hand resting on his baton, brow raised in silent challenge.

“ Lay down,” Jin directs. “She’s right there, and we can keep the curtain pulled back until Brenda comes and does her exam You know I wouldn’t keep you from your daughter without good reason, Captain.”

Max relents at that, yielding to good sense, and reluctantly relaxes against the pillows. Misaki seems tuckered out, and immediately falls into a nap, head pillowed on one arm. Akira is quick to take her other hand, pulling himself a chair to sit by her side. Jin takes a seat in the middle; allows Alicia the seat closest to Max, crossing his legs and observing the scene before him. It’s sweet, he thinks, watching how the three interact even when one of them is further away.

Misaki cracks an eye open; gives her brother a drowsy smile that he returns, his free hand reaching out to stroke back her hair. Max is eyeing them, obviously trying to stay professional but failing. Jin’s raised eyebrow stops him from moving, as does Alicia’s threatening finger poke near his ribs.

“You stay right where you are you grouch,” Alicia scolds, voice softening when he switches his glare from Jin to her. “You’re hurt, and that thing you did with your Legion took a lot of energy out of you. Zip it and sit there.”

Max grumbles, leaning back once more. Jin slants his gaze towards Alicia, and rolls his eyes with a grin. Riding herd on the Howard bunch would be  _ fun _ , Jin thinks with a huff of amusement towards himself. He’d thought it was difficult with the twins alone.

He digs in his pocket, brings up his notebook, and begins to write in the most recent events, pen scratching over paper. Alicia eyes him before smiling ruefully back and tugging her hat low, leaning against Max’s bed and watching the twins herself. Akira relaxes happily against his chair and continues to stroke his sister’s hair, touch languid and gentle as he reassures himself that his sister is okay. Jin only glances up every now and again, flashing Misaki a reassuring smile whenever she forces her eyes open. She smiles back, small and heartfelt, before squeezing her brother’s hand.

“ Sorry I’m late.” Brenda says the words apologetically, and Jin puts his notebook away, looking up at her easily as she strides in. Akira, to his credit, only blinks at the strange hair color. Misaki cracks her eye open, blearily watching the doctor. “I managed to get some video of what happened, and while it didn’t show everything, I think I have enough to work with.” She glares at Max, before pointing at his shirt. “Armor off, if you’d be so kind.”

Max pulls a face, but does so, wincing when he reaches for the straps. Alicia swats his hands away, grumbling imprecations under her breath as she unbuckles blood-specked latches. Jin moves to his Captain’s other side to help Alicia lift the armor off, and Max grumbles the whole time. Alicia moves aside, taking her chair with her as Brenda swoops in, peeling the shirt off where it had been plastered to his side. Jin winces at the sight. It’s not a lot of blood, but it’s enough that Jin’s surprised he could get away with not going straight to medical. Brenda slaps his shoulder in admonishment, but fetches the necessary supplies while Alicia forces him out of the shirt.

Jin wisely stays out of that one.

Jin has to get involved in holding his Captain down when it comes to removing the stray strands of thread in his wound. Max hisses as Brenda does so and locks his hands into a death grip on Jin’s arm. Jin himself winces, but lets his Captain use him to hold still and not break in half from the pain. Akira and Misaki are watching with obvious concern, but they make no moves to go closer to their grumpy father. Jin winces as his Captain’s grip increases, but lets it happen. Brenda poking around in the wound with her tweezers for any last parts of his uniform or armor that may have wedged into the wound was  _ not _ fun.

“ It looks like your Legion drew out the worst of it, but it’ll need a bit of medicine to keep it from getting infected,” Brenda reassures them all. “You’ll need to sit during the debrief, but you should be fine.” A final nod and Brenda is moving to Misaki. Akira glares up at her stubbornly, his grip unrelenting around Misaki’s fingers, and Brenda sighs; yields to having a nurse without a word. “Get her chestplate off,” she instructs, and Akira joins his sister on the bed, undoing her chestplate and shirt, removing it with gentle care.

There are four thin welts on Misaki’s back, each one an angry red as they ooze blood over torn flesh. Akira isn’t the only one who hisses, and Jin isn’t sure if he should be impressed or angry with Misaki for hiding such an injury. Akira preserves his sister’s modesty, and Jin, understanding, stands up and turns away, leaning against his chair. By the sound of it, Alicia draws the curtain on her side, and Misaki makes a quiet grumbling noise as Brenda cares for her, her voice dissolving into a pained yelp and squeak.

_ Hah _ , Jin thinks, an amused smile curling up over his lips. Like father, like daughter.

Brenda does clear her throat eventually, and Jin turns back around, relieved to see Misaki was wearing a dress-shirt over bandages.

“ You’ll be fine,” Brenda confirms for everyone. “But you’ll probably want to sleep on your stomach tonight.”

Misaki pulls a face, but nods obediently.  “ Yes Doctor,” she says quietly, and Jin flashes her an understanding smile. She nods at him; tucks her head into her brother’s shoulder.

“ I’ll give you a few minutes,” Brenda tells them all, standing up, dusting her hands off, and walking out to give them a brief moment of privacy.

Jin stands up, drawing all their attention at doing so.  “ I’m thirsty, so I’m going to grab something from Vending-3. Care to join me Alicia?”

He raises an eyebrow, daring her to go against his words, against the underlying threat hidden in his genial, friendly tone. Alicia glowers at him, but stands up and the two walk past the curtains. Jin holds up a hand, and she stops, annoyed at first.

“ Are you two okay?” Max’s voice prevents Alicia from speaking, and she crosses her arms, eyes softening at the realization of why he pulled her out.

“ ... back hurts,” Misaki admits after a moment of silence, and they can hear the rustle of fabric. “I didn’t realize I got hit… I told Jin that it caught my backplate, but I didn’t feel it catch my skin.”

There’s silence, and then a rustle and the sound of footsteps moving closer. The cot squeaks, and Jin can only imagine the gentle petting of heads that Max was likely to subject his children to.

“ Adrenaline will do that to you, sweetheart. First time I fought a chimera, I was defending Alicia from the damn thing. Didn’t even notice it had torn up my arm until Alicia chewed me out later for fighting with a gash in my arm.” Max chuckles softly, “We’re at our best when we protect those we love, after all.”

Alicia’s cheeks flush, and Jin gives her a too-knowing grin; feels her hand punch his shoulder in embarrassment.

“ Akira - how are you?”

Akira makes a faintly embarrassed noise, before sighing. “Feeling more than a little embarrassed… I know I shouldn’t, and I did help... ”

“ It just didn’t feel like enough,” Max finishes his sentence, sympathy in his tone.

Jin takes that as a cue to leave, tugging Alicia along with him to actually get some snacks and a drink. Jin remembers what Misaki and Akira like from fetching it often enough; gets Misaki a Peach Soup and Akira an Akali-Cocoa, then steps aside so Alica can grab Max’s Double-Barrel Coffee and herself a bottle of ice water. Jin grabs another protein bar for himself, not particularly thirsty, but feeling more than a little ravenous. After a moment, he grabs another four, hands one off to Alicia, who gives him a grateful nod. They return, and to Jin’s utter lack of surprise, the Howard trio had all migrated to one bed, Max clinging to his children affectionately. Akira looks a little embarrassed, but Misaki seems pleased, leaning against her father without reservation.

Jin knows why, and the sight makes him smile, even though he knows how much it has to be hurting her. She won’t feel secure until she can protect him from his original fate. Jin feels much the same, though he doesn’t dare allow it to show on his face, handing them all their drinks of choice and a protein bar each. Max gives him a grateful nod, though he has to wiggle free of his children to eat his bar and drink his coffee. Misaki leans into her father’s chest; nibbles at her bar. Akira opts for the energy drink first, shaking it vigorously to mix the contents and then tapping the sides so it won’t fizz too much when he cracks it open. Misaki shakes her Peach Soup languidly. Max takes it from her; shakes it for her. Jin takes space at the edge of the bed, and Alicia copies him, the five eating their snacks and drinking in silence.

They stay that way, until Brenda returns, the Commander in tow. Jin isn’t the only one who goes tense from surprise, and he flicks a glance towards Misaki, who looks a little pale. Max notices his daughter’s distress - of course he does - and so does Akira, but they both assume it’s nerves.

Jin knows better, but says nothing.

“ At ease, all of you.” The seemingly saccharine tone of voice makes Jin feel vaguely ill, and he forces a bite of his protein bar down his throat to hide his disgust. “Brenda’s made it clear that you all are in no shape for a formal debrief, so I’ll make this short by necessity. Cadets Howard. Welcome to Neuron. I was pleased to see that you performed above-adequately in your new environment, and commend you on understanding your Legions despite it being a first-time use.”

Misaki sips at her drink, watches him with hooded eyes, but quietly murmurs a thank you.

“G iven your various states of injury, I’d like to see a written report on your individual encounters done by no later than the end of next week. Bureaucracy waits for no man, unfortunately,” Yoseph chuckles. Jin bites another mouthful off the bar; makes himself chew so he doesn’t just spit it out into the monster’s face. A beat for the joke to be appreciated and Yoseph resumes, “Recover and relax. We should have a few days of downtime before a chimera decides to come through - at least, if the pattern continues. I expect to see you all in a few days.”

Yoseph leaves them then, and Misaki relaxes; curls into her father with a drowsy hum the moment her fight-or-flight sense seems to disappear. She’s back to nibbling on her food, and Jin wants to reach out, pinch her lower lip so she’ll eat properly, but they don’t have that kind of familiarity anymore. Those months were wiped away in an instant.

It hurts, of course. Jin wants to be able to gently chide her for her actions; wants to be able to press a kiss to a sweat-damp forehead when she feels poorly, and make sure she eats rather than nibbles at her food. But he can’t do that anymore, not with eyes everywhere and their months of acquaintance pared down to years apart in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Well. Not much. He reaches out, and Misaki reaches back, smiles and catches his fingers in her own, just for a brief moment. He does the same with Akira, and the boy flushes a dull pink, but smiles at him for it. Max beams at him for the expression of care, and he feels like he’s eighteen again, getting approval for little things. Jin stands when he’s done eating, and gives them a wan smile.

“ I’m going to head in,” he tells the assembled company. “Max - you need anything from me?”

His Captain gives him a brief stink-eye, but shakes his head.“Your reports in English would be nice,” he grouse. The old joke gets a laugh from both Alicia and Jin. “Aside from that? No. Go get some rest. I doubt Brenda will let me leave medical tonight, and Akira would sooner sleep in an unoccupied cot than leave his sister.”

Jin gives an understanding hum; watches Akira turn pink again. Alicia takes this as her cue, taking the empty wrappers and bottles from the assembled Howards, and takes Jin’s wrapper too.

“ I might as well turn in, too. Y’all have a good night. Don’t let Max mother-hen too much,” she teases. Her jab gets an indignant squawk from Max as she leaves.

Jin hovers briefly for a moment, and Misaki meets his eyes, understanding running between them. She’d find him soon enough.

And then they’d  _ talk _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Iniora_Nackatori for being so kind as to agree to being my beta reader! It's very much appreciated, especially since I'm not the best at grammar and flow! All of these chapters will be updated once the second pass goes through.
> 
> An additional note: I'm not ignoring comments or responses, and I read every single one of them! I'm just really bad at keeping plot secrets... secret. So I don't tend to reply much because then who knows what I might say rip me.


	6. 〖Singularity〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a point at which a function takes an infinite value, especially in space-time when matter is infinitely dense, as at the center of a black hole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

“ You look nice,” Jin tells Misaki the next morning when he picks her up from the police barracks. She’s gone for a nice pair of jeans and an oversized soft-looking sweater, Legatus on her hip rather than her back.

Misaki had apparently gone to her apartment and moved everything to her new quarters at HQ with Akira’s help before Jin had arrived. Misaki caught Jin by surprise when she asked - somewhat shyly - if they could go out for a meal. Jin had agreed, more than a little pleased to not need to come up with an excuse to get her off HQ’s turf and interrogate her. Jin himself is wearing a pair of his favorite jeans and a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows in concession of the heat. It’s the most casual clothing he has, and he’s glad that Misaki hadn’t dressed up so he doesn't stand out too much in his outfit. He of course does get a few curious looks - Jin’s rarely out of uniform, so more than one officer is eyeing him. A pointed look sends them scurrying off easily enough.

“ You don’t look too bad yourself,” she says, getting a laugh from him at the compliment, and he notices that she’s carrying a bag. He raises an eyebrow, but she shakes her head. He gives her an intrigued look, but doesn’t push her - knows she’ll get to it in her own sweet time. “Where are we going?” she asks him.

“ Thought we could go out to Cafe Literature,” he tells her with a wry smile. Misaki smiles at that, falling into step beside him. His bike is parked outside, and Misaki gives it a longing look, making Jin chuckle again.  “ I nearly forgot how much you liked motorcycles. With how overprotective your father was, I suppose he didn’t let you upgrade your own to go faster than the legal limits. I want us there in one piece. Otherwise, have fun.”

She swings her head around to stare at him, wide-eyed and hopeful, as though doubting her own ears. He rolls his eyes and offers her the keys.

Misaki whoops, takes the keys happily and spends a moment admiring the bike, before comfortably straddling the seat, looking over at him. Jin makes sure he has everything before joining her, arms wrapping around her waist as he seats himself behind her. He fits smoothly behind her back, her smaller figure slotted comfortably against his. Jin allows himself a satisfied grin; rests his chin on her shoulder. Misaki hums, before starting the engine and going into top speed without reservation. Jin has to laugh, the speed kick quick to get his blood pumping. He leans with her when she makes turns, snugly moving in sync as they drew closer to their destination.

When they stop, Jin has to take a moment; buries his head in her shoulder as Misaki laughs, free and unreserved. He’s smiling himself, watching her as she happily dismounts, his arms unwinding from her waist as he stands with her, brown eyes filled with amused warmth as she gushes. He’s no bike junkie, but she is, talking to him about specs and suspensions and chains and motorcycle gears, and he does his best to keep the conversation moving; asks a handful of questions here and there. He nudges her with a hand against her back, and she stops, blinks at him questioningly.

“ This is the cafe,” he tells her, more than a little amused when she turns pink. “C’mon. They make some of the best takoyaki in Zone 14.”

Jin opens the door and Misaki scampers in; admires the books lining the wall. Jin plucks off a colorful comic, deposits it on a secluded booth, waving at a waitress to come by when she was done. Misaki doesn’t copy him, but does sit when he does, eyeing the comic curiously. She jolts when his Legion blinks to life, and picks up the comic, looks at him as it clutches the colorful paper.

_ Jinfriend? Me read? _

It sounds hopeful, and Jin smiles at his partner, scratches the top of his head until he gets a throaty purr.  “ Enjoy,” he confirms. “But don’t forget to mind your limiter.”

His Legion chirrups, the sound odd compared to his large size. It pauses at the sight of Misaki; reaches a hand for her. She gives it a tremulous smile, and it takes her hand gently. Jin watches the silent conversation with open interest, before patting her free hand.

_Misakisister._ Jin’s brow climbs to his hairline, and Misaki flushes at the word. _Jinfriend help Misakisister?_ it asks, and Jin smiles wryly. He has a feeling that this is going to make up the bulk of their conversation.

“ I’m trying,” Jin confirms. “It’s part of your punching it lots plan.”

His Legion vibrates, touches Misaki’s face with a gentle hand, before retreating back, comic clutched against a chest.  _ Punchlots for Misakisister. Punchlots for Jinfriend. Lots of punchlots. _

It settles with the comic, content pleasure radiating from the bond. Misaki is staring at his - _her_ \- Legion, and Jin wishes he dared echo her. He taps a finger against the back of her hand, and she flushes; turns back to him.

“ I think we have a lot to talk about,” he says, tone wry.

The waitress comes up at that moment, and he gestures for Misaki to order first. She orders a big stack of takoyaki with some dipping sauce and a soda, and after a moment, Jin does the same, though he opts for the spicy takoyaki and a sweet smoothie. They wait until the waitress is gone, and Jin turns his eyes on her. Misaki is fidgeting, expression obviously awkward as she fiddles with her fingers. Their meals are deposited, and Jin takes a sip of his smoothie first. Then he begins to talk.

He talks about how exhausted he’d seen her, the days she’d been running away from her brother, and how he’d found out from Brenda what the fate of Akira had really been. He talks about how he’d seen her working long hours over the computer. Misaki is stoic and still as he speaks, and her eyes flicker when Jin talks about the purified Astral Plane. About how he’d ended up there after trying to convince her to go to sleep at a reasonable hour.

“ Oh…” Misaki mumbles as Jin quiets. She had nibbled on her food while he’d spoken, and his Legion had stopped reading, listening to his tale with curiosity vibrating along their bond. “I… really worried you.” Her head ducks, and she tries for an awkward, broken smile. He doesn’t eat; squeezes her hand gently to reassure her. After the silence plays out, she says, “Thanks… for sticking around with me.”

The two sit in silence for a moment, before the Arm Legion floats closer to her, enveloping in a gentle hug. It vibrates gently to soothe her, and she smiles at it. Satisfied she has been hugged sufficiently, the Arm Legion drifts back, though its attention doesn’t return to the comic.

And then Misaki talks to him. Her story goes much further back, and Jin turns a little pale when he hears that Max had apparently managed to _rechain_ his Legion before dying. Her awkward little half-theories on what that could have meant are concerning to say the least, but then…

Then Jin hears the unabridged story of what happened at the ARI.

Objectively, Jin knew. He knew that Akira had sacrificed himself to save his sister, to save what the Ark was. But it was entirely another thing to hear what had happened. His heartbeat is thudding as he listens to every word. He swallows down his bile; forces food down his throat. Jin had thought the commander was mad. He hadn’t realized how literally _ insane _ was until now. The idea of cloning Akira over and over until he became nothing more than a playing card, the face of an army of programmed thousands.

He swallows past the lump in his throat as Misaki gets to Noah Prime. The creation of it and how it had nearly killed her before Max’s Legion had stepped in… And in that one moment, the Axe had _become_ Max to help her fight the end of the world. Jin didn’t breathe when Misaki described that fight. When tale was told, her voice cracked.

“ I didn’t want to kill him. I begged him to reconsider, but he was right and we both knew it. I  _ killed _ him.” Misaki buries her head in her hands, and Jin slips from his seat to sit by her, wrapping her in a hug. She freezes, before clambering into his lap, burying her head in his shoulder and sobbing quietly.

Her sobs are a quiet wail, and Jin is greatful for the privacy of the booth he’d chosen. As it was, they were getting quite the curious looks, but he didn’t dare quiet her grief even at the threat of exposure. He rocks her back and forth, runs his hand comfortingly through her hair.

“ That was when I found them.” Her voice is steadier now, and a faint hope fills her tone. “Do you remember that movie we all watched? The one about time loops? And how we discussed hypotheticals on how they work?”

Jin blinks twice. And then groans, because he knows _exactly_ what conversation she’s referring to.

“Why did you take _me_ for good advice?” he laments, and she giggles a little at him, visibly glad for the break in tension, though there are still tear tracks on her face. “Okay, and what exactly did you do?”

She pulls out a notebook, offers it to him. He accepts, notes it looks nearly identical to the one Marie had given him.

“ I went through it all. Of all the cases we did and the experiences I lived, there were only eleven events that I could revisit with consistent regularity,” she admits, wriggles free from his lap so he can read the notebook. “In it, I noticed a few different things. All of the cases I could revisit either involved Jena Anderson or Yoseph’s manipulations.” He opens the notebook, surprised it was readable. Jin eyes her, an admonishment on the tip of his tongue. Misaki’s smug smile keeps him from speaking. “Send your Legion back for a moment,” she directs, and Jin pauses, watches her in intrigue, before patting his partner on the head with a murmured apology. It takes it in stride; disappears.

The entire book turns into gibberish.

At his baffled expression, she elaborates: “I didn’t want the commander to be able to read it, but if I could actually _change_ things, I wanted to do it properly, bring you all in on it. So I had to figure out how to make it work. I ended up talking to Hal about ciphers. He suggested I go into the Astral Plane to take care of it.” She lifts a hand; brushes her hair behind an ear. “There’s… a lot of stuff in there that’s quite useful, and I spent a lot of time working on this,” she admits quietly.

Jin huffs out a laugh in response. “I’ll take your word for it Misaki. I’ve only ever been there once.”

“Twice,” she corrects him quietly. “You followed me here. That place… The best I can say is that it _is_ some form of the Astral Plane, even if I only really ever see it when I’m traveling back.” Misaki takes the notebook back, and he lets her with little argument. “However… in all the times I’ve done this, this is the first time events have gone differently. I’ve lived this before - doing _everything_ multiple times in the same way. I can’t even begin to explain how _shocked_ I was when I unintentionally triggered a fusion and nobody even noticed.”

She huffs a little laugh, and Jin raises an eyebrow at the idea. Misaki in fusion was not a thing easily missed.

“ I’m going to check my PC again when I get back into work, but I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be able to trigger the Blue Plane again - or at least, anytime soon. People are reacting to what I do, things I  _ say _ . I’m blaming you, you know,” she smiles, rubs away her tears as she does so. “People always notice you.”

Jin’s cheeks redden, and he takes a bite of his food to avoid answering. He knows it’s answer enough; Misaki laughing at him from behind her drink. He brings back his Legion, and it happily picks up the comic once more, flipping through the pages after reassuring itself that Misakisister was okay. She hands Jin the bag, and he opens it, finds more of the same notebooks inside.

“ How many times have you traveled through?” he asks incredulously. Misaki doesn’t smile when she tells him the answer, and he knows before she opens her mouth he’s not going to like the answer.

He’s right.

He really,  _ really  _ doesn’t like the answer.


	7. 〖Continuance〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The state of remaining in existence or operation; the time for which a situation or action lasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.

Twelve times.

_Twelve_ _times_.

Misaki had visited every single one of the eleven cases _twelve_ _times each._

Jin wasn’t sure if he should be surprised or strangle her. He eventually decided on neither, finishing his meal instead, and letting Misaki talk. There’s so much to consider, and really not enough time, so when he’s done, he swallows the last of his food and sighs.

“You are utterly insane,” he tells her, though he says the words fondly. Misaki smiles, shoulders relaxing once he’s finished processing the whole mess, finishing his now lukewarm smoothie with a sigh. “Really, you are. Insanity aside, however, I _am_ glad it’s you that I’m traveling with through this whole ridiculous journey.”

Misaki beams at him for that, and Jin smiles back at her, pleased to have lifted her spirits a little. His Legion puts down the comic so that Jin is obvious to its presence. Jin chuckles at his partner, so like a cat with its demands, and stands up to replace the comic with something else for his partner. Catching the waitress's attention, Jin orders a bowl of mochi ice cream balls. Misaki gives him a grateful smile when Jin offers the delivered bowl, and homes in on the chocolate mochi.

“Whoa! Save me one, would you?” he complains good-naturedly, even as he takes a matcha one instead. There’s so much to _cover_ here, and he wonders how she managed to deal with everything.

Especially the last case. Watching her twin die _twelve_ separate times was _agony_ \- he couldn’t even imagine the heartbreak.

“ Is that why you couldn’t look Akira in the eye? The day I came with you?” he asks softly. Misaki looks away, and Jin knows he has his answer. “Oh,  _ Misaki _ ,” he sighs sympathetically, sits by her side again. She leans into him, closes her eyes. “Don’t you worry. It won’t happen. We’ll find a way around it, you and I,” he swears, quietly. His Legion has put down the comic, looks at Misaki in concern.

Her smile turns a little watery, and she leans on his shoulder, sniffles a bit. He doesn’t point the moment of weakness out, instead rubs her back and hums a lullaby quietly until she feels better. Misaki settles after a moment, sucking her fingers clean of ice cream even as she rebalances herself. His Legion drifts closer, touches her forehead gently.

_ Misakisister sad? _ The Legion sounds worried, and she gives a teary smile up at it.  _ Here. Jinfriend will help punchlots. _

It offers the words as though it’s a solution. Misaki manages a brave chuckle and reaches for another mochi.

“ Thank you. I think I just needed to hear that,” she says, and Jin rubs her back one more time, allows her to relax once more. “Finish your comic sweetie,” she tells the Legion. It goes to do so, but only after it has consoled itself, patting her hair down and promising one more time to punch things lots for her.

They finish the meal in comfortable silence, and Jin pays for the time spent in the cafe before the two take their leave, walking out together. Jin holds the door open, and she thanks him softly, waits for him once they’re outside.

“ You’re better with your Legion than anyone on the force,” Misaki tells him quietly. She pauses, but Jin doesn’t interrupt her; waits for Misaki to organize her thoughts. The two take a detour down the steps towards the mall. She continues after a moment, “And from what I could see, you’re not half bad with planning and tactics. We have… what, two, three days before the chimera catches me?” She checks the date, and Jin does the same, raises a brow when he realizes that yes, that was the case. “I think we can make the most of that.”

Jin chews on the inside of his cheek, and he thinks about what she’s offered, before speaking up.

“ Why me?” he asks her; holds up a hand before she can splutter an answer, indignant on his behalf. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She settles, watches him suspiciously. “I understand your basic reasons, but what I don’t get is what involving me will do. Why have me make the plans? You’re the one who knows this inside and out.”

She gives him a rueful smile. They’ve cleared the block and are looping towards the intersection at a steady pace.

“That’s exactly why,” she says at last. “You’re not involved in most of the cases. Rescuing people, that doesn’t change. All the little things I did as an officer, that doesn’t change. But the big things - the battle that took dad, the Mall, almost losing Akira and you and Alicia... I’ve lived them, over and over, so much that I can barely imagine how things could change. I could have died on the highway when I was heading over to Akira because I didn’t plan for things changing. I _can’t_ plan for things changing because I’ll always subconsciously expect things to pan out the same way. You’re not involved. That makes it easier for you to plan for the unexpected because you don’t have a frame of reference other than my notes.”

Misaki gives a slightly embarrassed noise here, cheeks turning a bit pink. “Uh… I will admit the first couple of loops I may have been… a bit hyper-fixated on things.” Jin raises an eyebrow at her for that one. Flustered, she rambled on, “Just… I sound stupid in the first few notebooks, okay? I did a few loops sequentially, a few in random order, and then the last couple were grouped together by relevance.”

Jin gives a hum, rocks back on his heels as he considers her words. “What kind of relevance?”

She’s surprised by his question, and takes the time to consider it as they wait at the intersection for the crosswalks to become passable again. They don’t speak until they’ve reached the other side, Misaki leading him towards the burger joint. Jin gives her a bemused look, but she holds his hand tightly, walks past the restaurant and passes her hand through the wall to the left. She sighs in relief when the wall simply envelops her hand, takes him through with her as the holographic wall flickers and fills his body with a buzz. She doesn’t bother knocking on the door that’s at the bottom of the stairs, instead opening it and walking right on in. Nobody’s inside, and she makes sure to lock it tight, taking one of the folding chairs and putting it under the doorknob to prevent anyone from coming in.

“ I spent a little while tracking down an ARI scientist who was originally the man feeding the Hermits Blue Evolve.”

Jin tenses slightly at the mention of the drug, and makes himself comfortable on the floor as Misaki sits beside him. Bringing it up now seems like a non-sequitur, but he knows Misaki wouldn’t ramble without reason.

Taking a deep breath, Misaki explained, “His name was Douglas. From what I could tell of Douglas, he was at some point Jena Anderson’s contemporary and worked with her until her supposed ‘death’ shortly after the Pandemic. He supplies - supplied, back then - the Hermits with Blue Evolve, which was as far as I could tell, a derivative of the anti-Redshift drug that later stopped being sold to the market.”

Jin’s eyebrow raises at  _ that  _ bombshell, but he politely keeps his mouth shut and allows Misaki the chance to finish.

Misaki fiddled with her fingers as she concluded, “During the Astral Storm, he had been carrying a case of Blue Evolve that he handed to her before committing suicide. I don’t know if Jena killed him, or if he willingly committed the act, only that it happened, and that he never left a note as to his death.”

Jin’s head hits the back of the wall, and he gives Misaki a considering look. She seems lost in her own mind, fingers pressed against her mouth.

“ This is important because?” he prompts gently, and she snaps out of it; gives him a sheepish smile.

“ Sorry, sorry… But the color of Blue Evolve - at least, the one I’ve seen - is a very specific shade of purple… More specifically the exact same color of the Homunculi.”

Jin blinks twice. And then buries his head in his hands.

“ Please tell me that they aren’t drinking that thing’s  _ blood _ ,” Jin begs her.

Misaki gives him an apologetic smile.  “ Unfortunately… I can’t. I never found out what it was made of. It could be that she was feeding them Blue Evolve, or that Blue Evolve was a product of it.”

Jin winces; feels his stomach rebel at the mere thought.

“ Blue Evolve is powerful stuff, and when we left, there wasn’t any still in existence since the ARI had collapsed. I tried everything I could to get a sample to test, but as it ended up being - it never happened. I was always arrested, and the case would end with me being unable to get my hands on a sample of Blue Evolve,” Misaki sighed.

Jin’s expression shutters off, and he takes a deep breath, feels his body tremble. _Fuck_. He knew enough about Jena Anderson from the life they’d lived before to know she was batshit fucking _crazy._ And now this woman was part of the reason things had gone to shit? What else had she done?

“Great,” Jin sighs, rubs his forehead. “You never pick the _easy_ tasks, do you?” He pulls her to his side, makes sure she’s resting her head against his shoulder as he considers the implications of the whole mess. Misaki accepts his touch, shuddering slightly as she allows herself to unbend in their hideout, safe from prying eyes that form the rest of the world.

Time travel was never going to be _easy,_ that Jin could accept. But to have the literal fate of the world on one person’s shoulders was just too much. He brushes a kiss to the top of her head, and her eyes close in response, a half-smile curling over her lips. It’s been an age since he’s comforted her like this, and his fingers brush her hair, his chest vibrating in a deep hum as he works to soothe her.

“ Thank you,” she says, and he lays another kiss on her head, stroking down dark hair.

“ I think,” Jin says, once they’re both back to some state of equilibrium, “that one of us is going to have to get our hands on some of that Blue Evolve.” Misaki blinks up at him, before nodding, her hair concealing her expression. “It’ll have to wait until after I’ve looked through those notebooks, but that’s likely to be a priority. I’ve got some civilian contacts - should be able to send out a few feelers. We can consider our options after that, see what we can do.”

Jin doesn’t move for a moment after that, allows himself to enjoy the shared space he had with her. This would likely be a rare occurrence after a certain point - they’d _both_ need to do a lot of legwork to keep ahead of both Jena _and_ the Commander. He doesn’t want to move - she’s a comfortable weight against his side, and he can feel her breathing, slow and even as she revels in his safety.

Naturally, that was when Misaki’s phone rang.

Oh  _ yes _ , Jin thinks, when Misaki takes the call from her father, pulling away to open the hideout.  _ Someone is going to  _ hurt  _ when I get my hands on them. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV Notes have now been added to the beginning of every chapter at the request of Shiary. I'll put them in the tags too for you


	8. 〘Maximilian〙

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The name Maximilian comes from the Latin “Maximilianus” which is a form of “Maximus” meaning 'greatest.'

Watching his daughter and Jin was giving Max a headache.

Nobody noticed it outside of their little team of five, but the two had gotten awfully chummy in just a few days. His every fatherly instinct demanded he pull them apart, protect his little girl. Sometimes even his Legion would feel that way, grumbling in the back of his mind about how Misaki needed to be protected.

His daughter and son had changed the parameters of his relationship with his Legion. No longer did it argue with him. Instead it fit smoothly into his training without the original annoyance it had once given. It sees his children, and calls them _ theirs._

Max eyes his partner, before sending a tentative poke through the bond. The Axe turns its head down to him, curiously tilting its head to him.

_ Captainself, _the Axe Legion answers without hesitation. Its words are bell clear. Max shivers slightly; wonders if this was really a good thing, their new bond. _ Are you worried about Akirason and Misakidaughter? Jinguard is training them again_, it says with pinpoint accuracy, and Max internally winces. _ Captainself is worried? _ it asks; floats closer to him.

“Yeah… That’s a good way to put it.”

The way Jin and Misaki had practically recoiled from the Commander – it unsettles Max. He was missing an eye, not _blind_ \- and he had learned a long time ago how to use his peripheral vision to its fullest. Misaki he could understand; the man was unsettling to newbies. But _Jin?_ He knew his second in command like the back of his hand, _knew_ his teammate had never had a problem with the Commander.

Until three days ago, when Misaki and Akira had joined Neuron. What was it? Max wanted to scream at his second in command, who suddenly had world-weary eyes and a fierce drive that rivaled his own. Jin would watch the three of them interact with a smile on his lips and heartbreak in his eyes and Max wanted to wrap his hands around the man’s shoulders and _ shake _ Jin until he could get an answer.

_ Jinguard knows new things. Misakidaughter told him - dangerous things_. the Legion says. Max slides his gaze over; glares. _ Jinguard cannot tell. Masakidaughter cannot tell. __Cannot tell yet. Not safe nothere danger._

The Axe Legion speaks with gravity and weight in a way far too reminiscent of Max getting handed a do-or-die lecture before a deployment. Its _ uncanny… _ and no little bit concerning.

He dismisses his Legion after a moment, the strain of keeping it active exhausting his energy. Max rubs away the growing headache as he contemplates the mystery. Heading down to the training room, Max can watch Jin as he trains the pair.

Max hadn’t wanted to train his son and daughter, and Jin had taken that in stride, going in and kicking their asses _ hard._ Watching Jin train the kiddos is always something else. Jin’s eyes go soft for a moment when the twins succeed, before hardening enough so he can critique their form and skills. Jin runs them ragged, fits in as much training as they can take and joins them, his skill enough to keep tables turned in his favor, even as he drills teamwork into them until they take to it as though it’s the air they _ breathe_. Jin is not nice, and he’s not subtle. He makes Max’s kids work for all their victories and they only win a handful of times.

Misaki tumbles to the ground, and Max has seen enough; claps his hands together from where he’s standing in the entryway of the training room.

Jin immediately stops, slamming his sword down inches from Akira to push himself against it, flips backwards and lands on his feet. Akira had skidded to a stop seconds from disaster, and blinks at the sword where it’s embedded in the training ground. Even without Jin, the sword was still standing upright, impaled on the ground, and Max spares a second to feel impressed with how strong Jin had become in such a short amount of time.

Time Max didn’t know about. Not even two weeks prior, Jin had been weaker than him - improving, certainly. But not so far beyond him as to blow Max out of the water like he had three days ago.

“You two feeling up to a two on two match against Jin and your old man? No Legions for now, of course.” Max grins.

He tracks Jin with his IRIS. Jin blinks at him, before his heart rate picks up and his tell-tale excitement fills his veins, lips curling up slow in a smile. Jin _loves_ joint spars, and Max was no fool to see that Jin was an exceptional team player. His childhood - rough as it may have been - had lent Jin some singular skills in the field. An unparalleled sense of working with others was merely one of the many pieces of hard-earned wisdom. They work and jive well, not nearly as much as he and Alicia. Max and she had been partners long before he’d ever seen Jin, and that time gave them an edge. But Jin and Max had sufficient synergy that they can teach some rookies a lesson.

Misaki looks at her twin, and the two nod as one, determined and more than a little excited themselves for the chance.

“You bet, Captain.” Akira pounds a fist against his chest, and Misaki smiles, amused. Akira boasts, “We’re getting better with every lesson!”

That’s a good attitude to have, Max thinks, nods at them both as they take their stances. Jin easily takes up vanguard behind him, and he waits, aware of the prickling feeling of being watched by more than one curious Neuron officer. And then Max moves.

They slip into practiced routine, aligning blades and bodies to strike in a flurry of blows. Jin slips easily below Max’s swings, blaster in hand to hide incoming danger until the last moment in the shadow of Max’s weapon.

Misaki dodges to the left, Akira catching Max’s blade on his baton in a screech of metal. His hands brace the weapon and push hard, seeking clearance. The force sends Max a step back and Jin steps in from an angle, peppering Akira with shots and forcing the boy to back away, opening the distance between father and son.

Max tilts his sword, and Jin takes it as a springboard, launching himself into the air as his shots push the twins further apart. They’re vulnerable alone, Akira at significant disadvantage against his Captain. Akira’s steps are stumbling over the ground, feet tripping over one another as Max presses him back.

The slam of Jin’s gladius into the earth cuts off his daughter, who had lunged in, seeing opportunity. Her feet plant against the weapon, and she uses it to lunge out of the way, rolling to her feet and tossing her baton towards her brother – who’s switched his own X-Batton to blaster mode, switches Misaki’s to gun-mode as well as he catches it, and is taking aim _ past _ Max, towards a free-falling Jin.

The rattle of chains surprises Max, blue wrapping around the impaled gladius and bringing Jin back down to solid ground, allowing him to avoid the worst of the bullets. In the chain’s distraction, Max moves in, reaching out, hands closing around the collar of a jacket and knee planting into a stomach.

Guns clatter to the floor, Akira giving a low cry as he folds over Max’s knee. Max can hear the dull thump of feet, the skittering of footsteps as Misaki dodges Jin’s lunges. A tilt of his head brings them fully into view, and he tosses Akira bodily into the path of his sister.

Misaki’s body collides with Akira’s, the impact sending them both to the ground. Too quick for them to recover, Jin is upon her, Max lunging in to pin his son down with the edge of a blade.

Beginning to end, the whole fight takes about a minute. The twins are breathless - the high-paced battle was enough to bring anyone to their knees. Jin grins down at Misaki, her eyes locked on his. Max watches his son, but he knows the match is officially called when Jin unbends himself, stands up at their joint surrender and offers Misaki a friendly hand. She accepts it with a wide smile. Max hauls his son up, ruffles dark hair and smiles down at him. Just for good measure, he ruffles Misaki’s hair too. She shakes her head and laughs, smile wide.

“Not bad for two rookies, but nowhere near good enough yet,” Jin teases, running a hand through his own hair. “Maybe next time eh? We’ll have plenty of spars for you two to get comfortable with us.” 

Max’s critique is on autopilot, dressing them down for their sloppy opening, praising lightly in areas of good standing. Jin chips in all the right spots with the right words to ease his harsh tone. Misaki takes it in stride, but Akira’s expression shutters more with every word. Misaki’s touch makes Akira stop short, and she gently leans in to whisper in his ear. Akira tenses at first, and then relaxes, flashes his sister a grateful smile.

Max listens, he observes, and he wonders. It’s only Misaki and Jin who act like this. Alicia has not changed; nobody else in the division has changed.

Well. Nobody human, that was. His Legion is more settled in his mind, obeys him more easily, and is fiercely protective of his little team, _especially_ his children. It no longer acts like a child. Instead it moves like another arm. They breathe together, move together, _exist_ in the same spaces.

Is this what the Commander meant by Legionis? It should be exhilarating; it _is_ exhilarating. And yet… there was a certain unease in how the Commander looked at him now, as though Max had become quite the fascinating research subject. Misaki’s own transformation had seemingly gone under the radar, and he desperately hopes that nobody will call attention to it. He does not want the Commander’s hungry scrutiny on his daughter.

Max hated this _ job. _ Always had since the Pandemic of Zone 09. The only reason Max had stayed a cop was for _ them,_ his two little children who needed his protection. And yet…

He watches his son and daughter as they joke around with Jin, laugh over little things together. A few more minutes of laughter and Jin dismisses them to the showers.. Jin catches Max/s eye and smiles, says something that he has to focus on.

“Earth to Captain.” Jin’s smile is teasingly friendly, and Max huffs at the man. “There we are - I was starting to wonder where you’d been,” he chuckles, and Max gently shoves him.

“I was thinking - you know, the thing you don’t seem to do these days?” Max snips. Jin’s amusement melts into a pout, the adult crossing his arms and glaring a little.

“Funny,” Jin pouts, “given how hard those gears in your head seemed to be turning, I was starting to worry if you needed a hand with those thoughts in your head.” Max eventually unbends, chuckles at Jin who continues to pout, before getting a rueful laugh of his own. Sobering far too quickly for Max’s liking, Jin asks, “No but really, what’s got your head in a twist this time? It seemed important.”

“Worried about the kids,” Max says, rather than ask Jin what had changed about him. Max knows he’s not going to get an answer for that, not yet at least, if his Legion’s whispers in his ear were to be taken as truth. “This is a pretty shit job, and they’re new to the force… I can’t help but worry.”

Jin hums, low and understanding and so eternally patient with him. Jin’s hand settles on his shoulder, squeezes.

“I mean, now would probably not be the best time to remind you of the old police curse, huh?” Jin chuckles, and Max eyes him, suspicious and worried all at once.

“Old police curse?” he questions.

Jin’s grin is terrifying. “May you have a dozen subordinates _ just like you._”

Max gapes at Jin, before shoving him hard enough to make his partner stumble. “You’re _ terrible__!_” Max exclaims, but he can’t help laughing, shoulders shaking with mirth. “So what? I have a pair or recruits with just enough rank to get into trouble?”

Jin grins, slings an arm over a shoulder as he finishes the statement, “And just barely enough luck to scrape out of it.” Max groans at his words, Jin’s laughter an easy balm to unsettled nerves. “Hey. They learned it from the best, Captain. They’re yours through and through.”

Max gives a faint whine, gets another laugh from Jin. He feels his Legion whisper, and he slings his arm around Jin’s waist, squeezes him in a hug. Jin wheezes a cough, and he lets his partner go.

“Good thing I’ve got you then. What was it you said all those weeks ago? Strong enough to protect all three of us? I guess I gotta hold you to that promise.”

He can feel Jin’s vulnerability, and the man pauses, holds on tight.

“Yeah… Guess so.” Jin’s tone is faintly sober, before a determined glint fills his eyes. Max watches, wonders, and worries.

It’s only been three days, and yet, it feels like a lifetime. And all Max can do is worry.


	9. 【Jamais Vu】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a French phrase meaning "never seen", refers to the phenomenon of experiencing a situation that one recognizes in some fashion, but nonetheless seems very unfamiliar.

Misaki was going to be sick. Beside her, Jin’s hand is gently pressed against her, rubbing soothing circles against her lower back.

“ I don’t think I can do this,” she whispers, agonized.

Jin’s presence is a welcome balm, but even then, she can’t shake the feeling of terror. Omnipresent disaster looms in her heartbeat and lurks in every shadow. Jin doesn’t stop his soothing touch, even when Max walks in, gives them both an odd look. Misaki knew her father was onto them - Jin had quietly pointed it out yesterday, when he’d uncharacteristically involved himself in their training session. Misaki understood, of course, _why_ he was suspicious, but it still jolted her with terror at the idea of anyone finding out their secret, of the risk of telling another soul without the groundwork for their belief in her sanity. She forces a smile on her face, and Jin continues to keep her calm, rubs her back without a care in the world. Max eventually trots on over, shoots Jin a questioning look.

“ Early morning training session. My Legion picked her up and spun her a few times,” Jin explains without missing a beat. For a moment, Misaki wished she dared kiss him.

She doesn’t ham it up, just focuses on breathing. Max gives her a worried smile, and she weakly smiles back.

“You know, there _is_ such a thing as working too hard,” Max complains to them both, before ruffling Misaki’s hair, the large and warm touch helping to ease the tension in her shoulders. “Lemme get you a protein bar and some ginger soda. That should help with the worst of it. Did you eat before training?” Misaki shakes her head and Max tuts at her. “There’s half your problem right there,” Max huffs, goes to fetch her something to eat.

Akira enters and looks at her just as strangely as Max did, and Alicia gives them both a saucy eyebrow wiggle that she ignores. Misaki can’t tell if Jin has seen it, given how he hasn’t looked away from her yet. Max is back in moments, stuffing the promised something to eat into her hands. She makes a face at him, but doesn’t dare countermand him, nibbling on the bar without a verbal complaint.

Jin finally lets her go, and she mourns, briefly, for the loss of warmth against her back. But he’s accepting some gear, and Misaki cheers mentally - she’d been _dying_ to get her IRIS back.

“Akira, over here.” Jin says the words with no heat, but Akira scurries on over quickly. It was funny - her little brother was _scared_ of Jin. Jin carefully sets up the configuration, fiddling with the device until it was synced with Akira’s Legatus. “Open your eyes a bit wider,” he instructs, gently placing the contact lens in with delicate care. Akira blinks a few times, before shaking his head. “And the other one,” Jin says mildly, Misaki watching with fascination as he places the lens in Akira’s other eye affectionately. “Alright. Give yourself a few seconds to rebalance, okay?”

Jin pulls the other one out, and she looks up immediately. “No, it’s not for you,” Jin tries for being stern, only gets an amused smile from Misaki. He’s so very obviously joking. Jin tilts her head up, and gently places the contact lenses. She blinks a few times, before going back to her protein bar and soda.

“ That is the IRIS - the Integrated Reality Imagine System. It’s very useful stuff. Projects holograms, can identify bodies under rubble, the works. After a while, you’ll wonder how you ever solved a case without it,” Jin chuckles slightly, and Misaki flashes him a smile, Akira eyeing him curiously. “It’s no ordinary contact lens, mind you - these are top-tier electronic devices. You can wear them indefinitely, and there’s no downside to keeping them in twenty-four/seven.”

Misaki grins, and Jin gives her a look askance. “Does it help you when you play solitaire?” she says slyly. The choked splutter that leaves Alicia is nearly as satisfying as the annoyed look on Jin’s.

“ Who said you were allowed to be sassy?” Jin questions rhetorically, gently smacking Misaki over the head and making her laugh. Her father had merely rolled his eyes, an amused grin tugging up his lips and Akira had choked on his laughter behind the both of them. “No, it doesn’t help, just so you know you sassy brat.”

Misaki grins at him unrepentant, and Jin rolls his eyes at her once more. Most of the mingling terror had faded away, but she couldn’t concentrate entirely, somewhere between worry and a little bit of uncertainty. She watches her captain as he wistfully observes, before snapping them all to attention.

“ Neuron Team Alpha,” he barks, and all of them jump to attention at that. “I’ve already talked to the Commander, and he’s briefed me on our next mission. We’ll grab a bite to eat from the canteen and then head out while I fill you in on the situation.”

Misaki glances at Jin, makes note of the equally baffled expression on his face. Last time, both of them had borne witness to being sent out on the case. What had changed? 

Thankfully, the rest of the morning is normal enough, excluding how Misaki finds herself loaded down with more food than she can eat. Jin _and_ her father both give her the stink-eye when she tries to put it back, so she ends up grumbling into her cup of tea, an amused Akira stealing blueberries out of her oatmeal when no one’s looking. She doesn’t like blueberries much, so she lets him.

The stable warmth of her twin is something else - a security and a safety that Misaki hadn’t realized she missed. Before, it was always something wrong, or the plastic regimen of the time loops that kept Akira from reacting, from taking care of her. Here, _now_ \- she has her brother back. It’s not a clone, or a copy, or a fake. It’s him, the living, breathing, _genuine_ article. She leans into him, and he leans back, smiling fondly at her while stealing her blueberries.

Alica is drinking some sort of horrendous syrup and coffee mix; the same mix Max is eyeing it with deep suspicion. Jin, ever practical, is eating fruit slices with a fork one handed as he types away at his screen with the other. She wonders what he’s writing about, but doesn’t poke her nose too far into it. Akira has his own bowl of oatmeal, but he’s long since scraped it clean. After a furtive look at Jin and the Captain, he sneaks a spoonful out of her bowl. Misaki bites back a fond laugh, fights him for the raspberries and the brown sugar swirls in hers, appetite going back up as she allows her stress and worry and panic to fade.

They finish in time to drop off. Akira tucks the bowls away in the sanitation container, and bids a cheery adieu to the pilot before hopping out. Misaki lands right behind him.

“ Okay, everyone, gather ‘round.” Max calls them in, and Akira is the last to join the group, Misaki observing her brother as he joins in with curiosity. “So, we’re basically on our own for this one, I’m afraid to say. The regular police aren’t too happy about us taking jurisdiction over the case, so we’re going to be running this show solo. Akira, Misaki, you two will work together. Jin, Alicia, you’ll work together as well.”

Jin quietly clears his throat, and Max stops, raises a challenging eyebrow. “No offense meant, Captain, but this is their first case investigating chimeras. I have no doubt as to their ability, but perhaps we should pair them up with someone experienced instead? After all, this might seem clear cut, but all of these cases somehow end up FUBAR,” Jin suggests mildly. He adds a little shrug. “Just my opinion.”

Alicia nudges Max, grins slightly, “I mean, you know best Cap’n, but I gotta fly with Jin on this one. If we go through with them on their own, who knows what mischief they’ll get up to without someone to keep an eye out for them? How about this: I go with Akira, and Jin goes with Misaki? Gives them a chance to explore with an experienced officer giving them ideas on how to investigate chimeras. You can stick with Mission Control and share the job with Olive.”

Misaki doesn’t look at Jin, doesn’t look at her brother, instead bites her lower lip.

Already, things were deviating. Jin had instigated this one, and now that he says it, she wonders why it wasn’t like this to begin with. Why had her father insisted on them being paired together for their first mission? She can’t imagine what function it served. In the end, Misaki doesn’t say anything, just waits for Max to make the call.

Max looks between them all, blows out a sigh. “Alright,  _ fine _ . Alicia, Akira, you two will run main investigation. Misaki, Jin, you two are better with people. I want any civilian that may have had interaction with this area that’s here now to be interrogated. Watch out for any of the officers; they know more than they’re telling us.”

Jin nods sharply, and Misaki echos him, shoulders easing. Misaki lingers around for a moment, tugs on her father’s sleeve once they’re mostly dispersed. Jin is already chatting away to a particularly timid little girl, who is peeking out from behind her oversized teddy bear. Max turns to face Misaki, and she hesitantly swallows her nerves to speak.

“ I should be able to use my Legion to hack the security cameras,” she tells him. “I did some exploring with my Legion yesterday,” she says hastily, at his raised brow. Now he just looks disapproving. “It was sanctioned, I got Olive to sign off on it for me yesterday.” That promise seems to allow him to settle a little, and she digs out a small data card and offers it to him. “I even wrote my report in English,” she adds cheekily.

Her father snorts.“Alright, alright kiddo, I’ll read it while I wait.” He ruffles her hair fondly, and she beams up at him. “Once you’re done, take Jin with you and catch any camera you think might have a glimpse of the road. He’ll patch into your IRIS - just radio me the moment anything changes.”

Misaki nods at Max, trots back over to Jin, who has coaxed the girl into babbling a mile a minute at him in rapid-fire Japanese, a smile on his face as he nods along and listens to her. Misaki stays by his side, flicks her Legion over to a couple of gossiping officers. Her partner knows exactly what she wants, transferring the information along the bond without question.

_“Can you believe the nerve of these so called ‘Neuron’ officers? Just barging in and taking over our case like it was nothing?”_ The bond shivers with the palpable disgust the other officers were radiating. Misaki’s fingertips twitch, brush against Jin’s shoulder as he jots down notes from the little girl. He’s taking her quite seriously, so she wonders how important the information itself is.

A snort leaves one of their lips, and Misaki pulls her notebook out, jots down the familiar keywords as they ripple down the bond. Normally, she stops there, once she gets her information, but something niggles in her head that she should keep listening. The sneering one says, _“I mean, there’s no way they’d believe the cameras picked up some _**_woman in white_** _poking around yesterday, __tossing handfuls of shit we couldn’t see.”_

Misaki’s breath hitches, and she notes it down, realizes Jin’s finished talking and is eyeing her with concern. She turns to face him, and he tilts his head down, questioning.

“ Cover me,” she whispers quietly, and he nods, slinging his arm over her shoulder and leaning in, his fingers touching her Legatus under the guise of patching his IRIS through to her own. Jin’s leaning in covers Misaki’s eyes, and she breathes a little easier now that the naked panic cannot be easily seen.

“_C’mon man, we could get in some serious trouble if we actually hold something back and it’s critical to the investigation. I _like _my job.”_

Misaki gives Jin a tap of her fingers against his waist two times, and his eyes narrow slightly in understanding that she’d found something important.

“_Hell no - I’m not telling them _shit_. They can figure out whatever they want on their own. They’re acting like _star _detectives, so let them.”_

Misaki pulls her Legion away when the topic begins to move to other things, and she nods at Jin.

“ How long do these cameras hold information?” she asks him, and Jin’s brow furrows, the man contemplating her words.

“ The First Level cameras hold information for twelve hours. Second Level cameras hold up to a week’s worth. Why?” he asks her. Misaki swallows her nerves, looks up at him.

“ Jena Anderson was here last night.”

Jin almost jerks back hard enough to knock them both over, freezes in place instead and his hand clamping down on her shoulder is an immediate - albeit painful – response.

Misaki continued, “She apparently did something to this area, but the cameras wouldn’t pick it up. The officers over there didn’t want to tell us anything because we’re stepping on what they think is their jurisdiction.”

Jin hisses out a curse, his eyes - already dark with annoyance - darken further, and he lifts his gaze to the officers in question, clearly marking them in some way.

Misaki felt a bit guilty that their days as officers were now numbered, but can’t really feel any sympathy for their behavior. She’d never learned that information last time, and every revisit of the files hadn’t yielded any information she hadn’t already gotten in the first time. Jin’s mouth is a thin line, but she reassures herself that this would have been their punishment if anyone had found out originally.

Misaki remembers, too, that this information could have kept her father from dying. What little pittance of sympathy she had dies an ugly death.

“Well then. Let’s get back to Max. We have _plenty_ to tell him,” Jin hums.

She nods at him, and bades the little girl watching them curiously a gentle goodbye with a smile.

As they head back, Misaki goes through all the cameras. To her great relief, there were two Second Level cameras in the area, as well as one patrol drone she had managed to sweet-talk an officer into letting her borrow the video records of. Jin being nearby had probably helped, as his particularly dark countenance had scared most of the officers into behaving themselves for the time being. As they explore the area one more time to track Jena’s movements, Misaki catches up with Jin on what the little girl had been saying. Apparently she’d seen some of the events with her mother while getting ready for school, but had been safely tucked out of the way in the stairwell that led down to where the bridge had fallen. She’d stayed behind for questioning with her mother, who worked on the first floor and had borne witness to someone being yanked into a red gate.

Finding the girl’s mother to corroborate her story, Misaki finds that the woman had also been redshifting. Misaki’s partner had kindly taken care of her while Misaki was waiting. Handing her a sugar pill and explaining gently that it was just for the nausea she was feeling covered her Legion’s actions. The woman had accepted the lie easily enough, and had thanked her for her kindness, to which Misaki had smiled warmly, glad to do a little good in the world. Jin had softened at her action; tugged on a lock of her hair with a fond smile on his lips. The two finished digging through the footage between conversing with civilians -- until they’d found it.

“You know, it’s one thing hearing she can open gates and walk through them at will,” Jin murmurs queasily at the sight. “But that is just _disturbing_ to see it without the context that we receive.”

Misaki agrees with him. Footage in hand the two head back, meeting up with Akira and Alicia, who are giving Max their report. Max is distinctly displeased at their tardiness, and he pats Misaki’s shoulder when she’s close enough, nods at Jin.

“ We got anywhere a little more secure?” Jin asks, and Max gives them an assessing, curious look, before conceding. They head down into the parking garage, which Alicia scans with her IRIS before confirming it’s clear. Misaki flicks out her Legion, and Alicia does the same, the two Legions keeping watch near the pedestrian entrances.

“ Alright Jin, Misaki, report - what did you two find?”

Misaki glances at Jin. Jin sighs, agrees to bite the bullet. Misaki was too new, and they both knew her claim would be dismissed.

“ Reports of a possible Anti-UNION terrorist,” Jin says bluntly. Max and Alica jerk back, and Akira actually stumbles a few steps away from them with a stunned gaze. “Female, blond, above average height. Overheard two officers discussing how they’d seen a woman tossing something invisible around that the cameras couldn’t pick up. The cameras showed she didn’t have a recognizable - or current - ID, and Misaki managed to talk a standard patrolman into letting her borrow his drone that had been in use that same night. The drone was able to tag her ID. The code registers to a dead scientist, but if they  _ are _ a terrorist, they may have used it to throw investigators off the trail,” Jin remarks darkly. Misaki and Jin both knew it was an accurate ID, but there was no way to say that without having to explain  _ how _ they knew.

Jin held his breath before dropping the bombshell: “The ID registers to a woman by the name of Jena Anderson.”


	10. 【Encounter】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpectedly experience or be faced with (something difficult or hostile).

“New orders from the Commander. Nobody goes _anywhere_ without someone else,” Max tells them, his voice turning low and urgent. “I’ll be with Alicia and Akira for this one, alright?”

Misaki nods at her father, and Jin rests his forehead against the cool stone of the parking garage. It’s a reversal of their roles this morning. Misaki’s fingers soothingly rub against Jin’s back, and she presses close against him, whispers meaningless platitudes to soothe ruffled feathers as he recovers. She knows why he’s out of sorts, and smiles softly at him when he manages to look at her.

Jin had lied to his _Captain_ for her. Misaki knew how highly he’d held Max in regard, and to lie, even if it was to protect him… it hurt. Jin was strict on his rules, hard lined on what he would and wouldn’t do. This wasn’t just bending his rule, this was _plowing _an Aberration-driven train through it.

Max is watching them suspiciously, but Misaki doesn’t say anything, simply rubbing a hand against Jin’s back and giving a soft little hum to soothe him. Jin takes a deep breath, straightens.

“ I’m fine.” He says the words aloud more for Max than for her, and Misaki knows it. “You guys got one hell of a bad hand for shit to go so FUBAR,” Jin groans, and Misaki rubs his shoulder affectionately.

“ I know,” Misaki tells him fondly, her mouth quirking up awkwardly. Misaki instructs, “Just breathe Jin. We’ll survive you and I.”

Max reassures himself by stepping over, gives Jin a quick once-over before patting him on the back and going to join Alicia and Akira. Jin smiles affectionately at both Howards’ attention, straightening up and offering Misaki a quick ruffle of her hair.

“ You’re sweet,” he says; chuckles fondly at her and she smiles bravely back at him.

Misaki knows that Jin is well aware that she’s trembling, scared and worried out of her mind over the possibilities, over what might happen and what may continue to happen. Jin pulls her into a loose hug, rubs his knuckles gently over her scalp and walks with her, side by side. They’re taking her path, the one she’d been on, and he runs his fingers through her hair, more to ease her than any other reason. But she’s so grateful that he’s doing this for her, because she is absolutely terrified of what may come.

They walk away, and she stops him, her fingers tapping against his breastplate. He stops on a dime, immediately looks down at her with a raised brow. “Yes Misaki?” Jin asks quietly, leans down.

“ I got caught looking for other civilians a few floors up,” Misaki tells him frankly, and Jin winces, obviously not happy to hear that. “I… I don’t think we’ll be able to avoid getting caught… especially if Jena’s involved.” Jin’s expression turns stormy, and Misaki hurries to finish before he gets overprotective: “If I get caught, I don’t want to go alone.”

Jin pauses, and his eyes turn softer, their steely quality melting for her.

“ I won’t let you,” he promises, catches her in a hug that she melts into.

They pull away quickly, conscious of the fact that such action could be seen in such a public space. Misaki quietly looks away, cheeks flush with color, but Jin merely smiles down at her.

“ C’mon. Let’s get those civilians at least,” Jin says softly, and she squeezes his hand, the two breaking into a sprint.

Misaki taps her hand again against his breastplate, three taps when they’re heading down the road on the other side of the collapsed bridge - a warning. She manages to flick her Legion out, towards the cops she hadn’t saved before - while still on the cusp of redshift, this time she could save them. The rescue helps ease the ache, the omnipresent feeling of  _ failing  _ which had gnawed on her each time.

Jin coming with her had changed things. Not all good, of course. But being able to do the little things again… Misaki can’t help but sigh in relief, glad that she could help in smaller ways.

Misaki hears the rumbling roll of the incoming chimera, and wraps her Legion around the cops, yanks them away from the danger. They give a startled yell, but any reprimand they could give is crushed with the cars they had been on the other side of. And watching part of the bridge collapse probably silenced their tongues, too. Misaki turns to them, and gives them a strained smile as she unbinds them.

“ You need to go. Call this area off okay? My partner and I will take it from here,” she orders, and they scramble off obediently.

Jin is bracing against the chimera, his Legion taking it apart, arms widening as it stretches further. Her Legion floats by her side, and she touches the top of a head, caresses his exosuit.

_ Misakiself. Orders? _ i t asks, and she touches his forehead.

“ Hold it back. Let Jin and his partner take the core.”

It grumbles, and she kisses its forehead. That quiets it, and it obediently dashes close to wrap around the core, holding it back for Jin and his Legion. The chain flickers with communication, and the Arm Legion rips out the chest, crushes and assimilates the core. Jin gives a surprised huff, and Misaki jogs over; feels her Legion purr and ripple over the bond.

_Jinpair feels good,_ the Sword tells her, and she rubs the top of it’s head. _Healthier. Is Jinpair ready to continue?_

It jerks a head towards Jin, who is rolling his arm with a wince. Misaki isn’t sure, but she quickly scurries over and offers him a medpack. Jin gratefully accepts, swallows the medicine down before applying the dressing over the wound.

“ Thanks. I’m going to have to work on my defensive training,” he complains to her good-naturedly, the two walking through the rest of the area.

Misaki takes a moment to clear the entire area of Red Matter. Jin groans at the sight of two brawling civilians. She laughs to herself as Jin wraps them up for the nervous officer nearby, and herself quietly advises him to take the backroads due to the unusual happenings. When Jin chips in, the officer agrees, and Misaki scowls. She already missed being able to be taken seriously. They climb up, but it’s eerily quiet. There’s an almost chilly air around them, and Misaki can’t help but wonder.

Then an explosion sounds.

_There’s _the source. Misaki follows the noise, hears Jin radio in with the details as they race for the upper levels. Purplish smoke is pouring out of the shattered windows where Aberrations are crawling from the ruined storefront. Misaki skids to a stop before the nearest civilian, already circling her Legion above her to heal them of any redshifting. The smell of burned flesh is _disgusting,_ and Misaki fights back her instinct to gag on air. She focuses instead on helping the civilian up with a quiet murmur of words, trying to keep them from freaking out. Her hands stem the flow of blood on one civilian, and she wraps a medpack around the wound; has to trust her partners to watch her back against the crawling chimeras. Jin is already fighting, and her Legion joins in while she lifts up the young woman, hefts her to safety. Those that can walk do so at her urging, huddled around her in fright.

“ Misaki, duck!”

Jin’s barked order makes Misaki obey on instinct, and the shot sails harmlessly over her head to nail an Aberration in the eye. It wails and goes down hard, and Misaki sighs softly, glad to not have to worry about that while carrying a civilian. She kicks it out of the way, stumbles closer to the shelter. The shelter opens up for her, and she lays the woman down, types on the keypad rapidly to indicate the shelter was in use. Jin hustles the last of them in, reassures them that they’d be okay before opening the police cache inside and allowing them to take something for themselves before sealing the door.

“ Are you okay?” Jin asks in concern, his thumb rubbing over her cheek, and she realizes there’s a bit of blood drying on her face. She pats herself down, checks and confirms she’s fine.

“ I’m good, thank you,” Misaki says to him; rubs at the streak of blood left on her face vigorously. Jin gives her a once over with his IRIS, and confirms what she’d said. Misaki heaves a sigh, the two clearing up the earlier corruption now that they were civilian free.

“ You know...” she says the words awkwardly - carefully - and Jin pauses, turns his full attention to her. “The last time I was doing this, I saw a civilian get captured by the chimera. It’s a little unsettling that something like this has changed.”

Jin keeps her by his side, hums as he thinks on her words.

“ I distinctly remember our investigation took longer the first time,” Jin says after a moment, and she sighs slightly in relief to know that she wasn’t the only one who noticed. “Though as far as I recall, we also didn’t know Jena was behind this event. The knowledge has changed the whole trajectory of our case.”

Misaki feels an odd lurch at the realization. He gives her a careful smile, and she tries to smile back, expression a little pained.

“ We’ll be alright, you and I,” Jin says, and the parroting of her words gets her to relax, a small, startled laugh leaving her.

“ Thank you,” she says, and a fond smile curls over his lips at her, enough to make her return it. The pair were heading back towards where Misaki had been captured.

As they cross the open bridge, all of Misaki’s hair stands on end. Something isn’t right. Something feels like the world is spinning around and around. She sways into Jin, and he gives an alarmed yelp, catches her in his arms, pulls her down so he can steady her shaking figure.

“ _ Max _ , Alica, Akira? Can you hear me?” Jin demands, and the radio eventually crackles to life.

Misaki can’t hear what’s being said for the life of her, her head spinning wildly. Jin catches her eyes with his own, and he tries to coax her into speaking. Misaki shakes her head, stops the moment the world revolts, gives a broken whine in response. Jin seems to be doing something, and when his fingers - bare of any gloves - touch her throat, she realizes he’s checking her vitals. Her head hurts, her brain feels foggy, and she gasps for air, clings to Jin.

“ Poi..son..” she coughs. Her mind is hazy, trying to recall where she could have come across any poison gas, where and what she had encountered that he had not.

That’s when the screaming starts, and Jin’s head snaps up. It’s the shelter - they’re screaming for help. The civilian - the one she hadn’t blueshifted. The one Misaki had  _ carried _ . Jin doesn’t want to leave her - the risk of her being taken while weak and ill is high, and Jin’s expression twists in agony. He doesn’t want to abandon them, or her.

“ Go,” Misaki coughs. “They don’t deserve it.”

Jin grits his teeth, but lowers her to the ground and races over, his Legion tearing open the door with prejudice. She leans against the wall; feels her partner free itself to reach within her, seeking the corruption to cleanse her of it. Jin is within her sights, and his Legion is inside, rescuing the civilians that can be saved from the newly formed Aberration. The moment it’s dead, Jin’s Legion stretches out, her own Sword Legion wrapping their chains together to prevent her from being stolen without notice.

Misaki slumps against the wall, head spinning like a drone’s rotors, when she feels a soft hand touch the side of her face. Jin is looking up at her in concern, and she swallows when he tips something to her lips. Her head clears, and she looks at the bottle.

Pure Water. The Neuron issued kind that’s stuffed with poison neutralizers.

Misaki huffs a laugh, and Jin grins wryly at her, knows why she’s laughing. “That is a terrible joke,” she wheezes, and Jin makes her drink another mouthful.

The fog in her head clears, and after another one or two mouthfuls, she feels good enough to stand, leaning heavily on Jin the entire time. The sound of boots thudding on the ground brings her attention up to her brother, who plucks her out of Jin’s grasp and hugs her tightly, Alicia and Max behind him. Akira strokes back her hair, and Misaki gives a weak smile up at her twin. Jin hands Akira the bottle, and quietly bends Max’s ear to speak with him in low, hushed voices.

Akira helps her drink the rest, gaze steady and worried upon her as he does so. Misaki smiles weakly at Alicia when the woman checks her over for injuries. Max is furious, of course, but not at her, and as far as she can tell, not at Jin, but she’ll ask once they’re out of the woods.

Misaki takes a shaky step forward once Akira lets her go, and Jin accepts her by his side without question, seeks as much reassurance as she does that they’re okay, hand resting in her hair. Misaki can see the inquiring look her father gives, knows that at some point they’ll both have to face the music.

The sky above darkens, and Misaki isn’t the only one who looks up. The low curse that leaves Max’s throat is enough to clue her in that this isn’t good, but when two familiar hands open up the red gash that had torn itself across the clear blue, Misaki’s throat goes tight.

The gate looms above them, and swirling red clouds split open the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally forgot today was Monday. So it's probably Tuesday for most of you. I'm SORRY.


	11. 【Specular】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> relating to or having the properties of a mirror.

There’s something terrifying about watching this, and Misaki’s knees go weak, body buckling slightly as her terror takes its own course. Jin’s tightening grip keeps her steady as her breath grows short and quick, Jin cursing in what she can only guess to be Chinese. He hauls her up into his arms, jumping back while Max hauls a surprised Akira over his shoulder and does the same. She barely stifles a squeak, while Akira makes a noise so unmanly that she would _have_ to tease him for it later, when she wasn’t a pile of jello and nerves.

“Shit,” Alicia mutters, and Misaki wishes she dared echo her within her father’s hearing. “I’ve never _seen_ this before,” she says, shading her eyes with her cap as she peers upwards. “Damn rookies - you two really picked a hell of a case to cut your teeth on.”

Alicia grimaces at them, and Akira does exactly that back. Misaki shivers, and Jin’s grip is gentle upon her, and when she can stabilize, he sets her down. Jin’s head bows down, and he whispers softly in her ear.

“ Misaki. Mission mode,” he orders her quietly.

Something in her  _ settles _ . Shoulders straighten, eyes tilt up, spine aligns. She closes her eyes and breathes in deep, forces all her anxieties and worries and terror out in an exhale. Those were emotions to be dealt with  _ after _ the issue has been resolved. When she opens her eyes, she is not just plain old Misaki Howard.

She is Legionis. Her Legion gives a chirruping purr along the bond, and she draws strength from the fragile, delicate warmth it offers. She can see Max watch her change, feels it in her bones that something will have to give, but she does not falter.

Right now, she has a world to save.

Misaki’s IRIS activates, dimming the sky and giving her insight into the gate. It’s not the normal kind, it’s not a dimensional tear. It looks surgically removed, boxy and clean. She flicks her Legion up, and it soars higher; gives her its’ eyes for her to see better.

“ It’s not one gate. Its pretty close to the roof of the plaza,” Misaki says at last, carefully observing it as her Legion uses all of the slack in the line to poke its’ head around. Her Legion stretches a bit and she lifts her arm, gives it a few more inches. “They look like they’re overlapping - you can see how the edges are cutting into the central area in a few places.”

She recalls her Legion after a moment, thanks it quietly and pats the top of it’s head. Her Legion chirps happily at her.  _ Of course Misakisister _ , it tells her, before disappearing once more.

Max growls slightly under his breath, expression darkening at the realization. His mouth is a thin line, and he heaves a sigh, looks up. “Alright - game plan anyone? Alicia?” 

Alicia’s gaze does not leave the sky as she responds,  “ I’d say we head for the Plaza rooftop as a team of five, clear out any civilians that are left, and heal any civilians we can. Those we can’t, we isolate. And we damn well keep a watch out for what happened to Misaki. If it had transformed in her arms we’d all be shit outta luck.”

Alicia’s dry observation makes Misaki wince, and Jin bristles defensively over her - as does her brother, who glares at Alicia slightly.

“ Alright, sounds solid. Akira? You have any ideas? I don’t mind if you have a similar game plan to Alicia, just give me something.”

Akira dubiously eyes his father, but obeys: “Top priority would be civilian evac. We can’t afford to get caught by whatever opened the gate, so staying in a team of five would probably be best, though if we could spread out... Our Legion’s chains should be able to keep us in contact with each other without having to stay too close and risk injuring each other in a fight.” Akira frowns, figuring, “The elevator is risky - anything can happen to the cables, and if we’re all in one that’ll be… well, the end of us.” He winces before proceeding, “Outside access stairs might be safer, but we’ll be visible to whatever’s up there.”

Max crosses his arms, and nods along thoughtfully, before nodding towards Jin. Jin takes a breath, hand settling on Misaki’s shoulder as he considers his words.

“ I’m with Akira on this one - civilian evac should be priority one. Once they’re gone we can deal with what we need to, and we don’t have to worry overmuch about civilian Aberrations past those that have already hit their threshold limits,” Jin says practically. Misaki winces, and he rubs her back gently. “I’d say take a middle ground - go for inside the building, but take the wide-access stairs that should be inside. Anywhere we need to cross we can spread out, follow Akira’s suggestion.”

Her father’s gaze turns to her, and she swallows nervously.

“ Civilian evac can be covered by the regular officers. Our priority is closing down the gate. We can stop and help any civilians we see nearby, but the time we waste can let this thing continue to further whatever plans it has. Internal movement might be smart, but we’d lose any chance for analyzing what it may do to us down here.” She adds, glancing up, “There’s a very real risk of us all getting caught off guard by this thing. I say we stick to outside access.”

She flashes Jin an apologetic smile, and he takes the criticism in stride, tilts his head gently. Max rubs his chin thoughtfully.

Max nods after a moment, decided: “Get the regular forces to handle civilian evac for now. If we see anyone while we’re heading up, we can help, but our main priority will be the gate. It’s been open long enough for us to go through this discussion, and I don’t think it’s because it likes to hear us talk. Close any gates that we see at all; get rid of them before they become bigger problems down the line. We’ll fan out and have a security net. There’s two wide access outdoor stairs on the Plaza - we’ll take that up, and see if we can find a way to close it.” Max eyes them all. “We’ll stay in the teams we were to begin with. I’ll take point. I want one person with an active Legion per team at all times.”

Max nods in conclusion, and they all salute, Jin’s hand leaving her back as they disperse. Misaki’s Legion croons as she summons it, and Jin holds off for the time being, the two taking the stairs together, Akira and Alicia doing the same on the opposite side. Max is always within sight, one floor above and talking lowly to someone over the radio. Olive, if Misaki had to guess. His eye always flicker back to them, and Misaki makes sure to wave every time she sees him, gets a smile and a wave back each time.

Jin chuckles softly each time, and she feels his touch as he runs a finger down her spine, says without words to send her partner back. She does so, and Jin summons in the same heartbeat.

A loud crunch sounds from above, and Jin’s arm wraps around her waist, his Legion soaring up the steps to yank them from danger. The stairs above give a whining squeal as it gives way, crashing where they had been. Alicia and Akira are just behind them, and the roar of chimeras makes Misaki wince, though she summons her trusty partner all the same. Jin taps her shoulder, and she smiles softly, relaxes.

“ I’ll go high,” she confirms. Jin grins slightly, and dives forward.

She waits a second before following, jumps on the blade as he hefts it up, bracing for her as she springs off of it, changing her own weapon to a gladius as her Legion blooms to life. Side by side they slice through the air, catching the first chimera off guard. Jin’s Legion barrels in above her head, smashing it back and yanking Jin in above Misaki as she retreats, shifts to blaster mode to cover herself and Jin. These chimera are faster, stronger, a little more dangerous than the large chimera they’d faced below. She tackles Jin to a side when one gets too close to them both, saves him from a bloody claw in his stomach.

“ Thanks,” he wheezes, and she helps him up, flips her X-Baton around to slam the hilt into an Aberration’s face. It stumbles back as it dissolves, the hit killing it easily as it crumbles to dust.

Jin yanks her back down. Misaki yelps slightly, feels him fire his weapon into the incoming chimera. His Legion and her own rush in sync, and she feels the blooming warmth of Triple Sword activate. She flicks it back, practice habit making the timing like breathing, the two bouncing the blades on the chain shifting back and forth as she and Jin stand up.

“ How long can you keep that up?” Jin asks, watching as Max dithers above. Max shortly chooses to help Alicia and Akira, the pair lacking the instinctive synergy that Jin and she had.

“ As long as neither of us miss the toss back, we can keep it up forever,” Misaki promises with a smile; sends another set of swords spinning back along their connection.

“ Great, let’s wrap them up.”

Jin gestures with a smirk for Misaki to proceed him. With a grin, she does exactly that, the pair diving back into the fray with renewed vigor. Misaki is happy to provide backup, though when she has a chance, she easily slips in the gaps of Jin’s sweeping blade. She adds insult to injury with blaster fire or her own gladius, lopping off legs and arms or burying her weapon into exposed chests. Her smile is excited, and Jin chuckles softly in agreement, the pair facing off against the last handful of chimeras on their end. Jin and Misaki are good when they team up, and it flows so well, she decides, the two of them following routines they’d established before they’d ended up here.

The last of the sudden windfall of chimeras is over. Misaki bends over on her knees, catches her breath as she scans the area with her IRIS. There’s no civilians in range, and she glances up. She isn’t the only one who winces.

“ I guess we’ll have to use our Legions to climb the rest of the way,” Akira remarks dubiously, his expression turning a little wary as he eyes the torn gaps. Akira isn’t the only one. Alicia is equally dubious, but she shrugs after a moment.

“ We should get a move on,” Jin suggests quietly, and Misaki echos him, glancing up at the sky.

The storm hadn’t gotten any bigger, but Misaki couldn’t imagine this ending well. The ground around them is shaky, prone to collapse, and they have to help one another up, sticking close when the sky spits out another batch of chimeras. The air gets thicker as they climb higher, and Misaki coughs in annoyance. She digs around the utility pockets, and realizes her gas mask is actually still there. She pulls it on, and Jin gives an annoyed groan

“ Nearest cache is another floor up,” he complains good-naturedly, and Misaki shrugs her shoulders.

“ I grabbed mine a few days ago - I forgot I had it on me.”

She switches to a blaster, aims for the next chimera’s eyes. It nails it, and Jin takes the opening it provides, his Legion giving a growl as it hauls him up. Jin thanks it with a quick scratch to its top plate, yanking out enough gas masks for everyone and tossing them over to those that didn’t have one. He fit one over his features easily enough, sending his Legion back down for Misaki to hitch a ride. She accepts the offer, leaves her partner below before recalling them and thanking it with a quick kiss to a scratched forehead plate.

“ When this is over, I’ll get you all kitted up, okay?” Misaki promises. The Sword croons happily at her, before quickly exploring the steps.

Jin hauls Max up with his Legion, her father eyeing the two of them dubiously.

“ Anything to report?” Jin asks Max as they both watch her test the stairs with her weight.

“ No. Nothing. Civvie evac is going strong, but the whole city will be under redshift warning again. This is fucking ridiculous - it was a week since the last redshift warning,” Max grumbles, hands twitching.

Misaki picks her way up the stairs, making it safely up the landing with a relieved sigh. Akira takes the chance to flick his Legion up, jumps the distance with his partner and gives his sister an arch look.

“ What?” Misaki asks, a little concerned by his stare. Akira looks back at Jin, and then looks at her.

“The fact that I have to say this aloud tells me how hopeless you are.” Akira chuckles at her, and she scowls immediately at her twin. “You’re _crushing_ on Jin again.” He smirks when she turns red, stutters denials. “Hey, don’t try that with me - you _know_ that I’m well aware of your _thing_ for him.”

Misaki flushes a dark red, huffs. Her Legion isn’t helping, not with the way it’s giggling in her head. Akira’s Legion is also giggling at her, leaving her with only one recourse: Misaki punches Akira in the arm. Akira winces in surprise, rubs his sore arm as the other twin glowers at him.

“I was _fifteen_ and Jin was the best-looking guy Dad let anywhere near us, okay?” she hisses at him in furious embarrassment. Akira snickers at her, and she punches his arm again, harder this time.

“ _ Ouch _ , sis, you really gotta stop trying to kill me!” Akira complains, as the rest of the team rejoin them.

“ Is something going on?” Max asks dubiously. Misaki immediately – and  _ not _ subtly – stomps on her brother’s foot to prevent him from answering. Akira gives an annoyed yelp of pain, glares at her.

“ Just sibling things. Nothing to see here,” Misaki says, cheerfully with a winning smile.

Akira glowers at her in annoyance, but lets her slide, even though she knows he’s dying to get back at her. Alicia looks terribly amused, and Jin’s expression indicates he’s not convinced. Max himself is used to the deflection and isn’t impressed, but humors her all the same. She plants a kiss on his cheek, and he grumbles, Akira glowering at her for the fact that Max had let it go.

“ We should keep climbing,” Misaki says instead; jerks a thumb up towards the swirling gates. “Whatever’s up there is getting antsy.”

Jin ruffles her hair as he passes her to head up, using his Legion to haul them up. From there it’s quiet, though Alicia tries to poke at Akira and Misaki to get answers. Akira, true to form, stays stubbornly silent. Misaki answers occasionally, distracted by the gate above their heads.

The rest of the climb is eerily silent, broken only by the roars of the chimeras and the occasional skirmishes as they make their way to the top. They’re nearly at the top when it happens.

Jin is first there, his Arm Legion reaching down to help the rest of them up. A gate tears open, reaching for Jin with one of the until now unseen giant hands. Nobody’s close enough to stop it.

Misaki gives a yelp, stumbles forward with a cry of alarm, her Legion tangling with Jin’s Astral Chain. The astral arm gives a mighty yank, and Misaki feels her feet leave the ground. In a heartbeat the two of them disappearing through the gate.

Well… At least she wasn’t going alone this time


	12. ❮Akira❯

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neutral Japanese name that means Clear or Bright.

_ No! _

Akira reaches for his sister. Misaki’s hand slips from his own, the gate slamming shut between their fingers. He’s yanked back by his father, but he can’t help scrabbling for his stupid, amazing,  _ sacrifical _ big sister. She’d flung herself between him and a certain death without knowing that their father would be able to protect them, and now she was  _ gone! _

He gives a shuddering breath, rubs his eyes and shudders. Above them, the gate flexes in an expression of smugness, and Akira gives a little growl. Max’s hand stops him.

“We need to close that gate,” Max says stiffly, his displeased expression saying  _ everything _ to Akira about how he doesn’t want to. “We can’t go after them until the main threat is gone.”

Akira groans, but knows Dad’s right. His sister would be  _ pissed _ with him if he dared go against those orders, and Jin was strong. Dad had even told him that he’d kicked  _ his _ ass the other day.

His Legion croons within his mind, flutters a tendril of thought over to him.  _ Misakisister will be okay. Jinguard fierce. Protect her with his life. _

The words are a cold comfort, but they provide some. Akira smiles up at his partner, who had been so affectionate to him since the word go. Akira accepts the touch, returns it for his Legion with a soft whisper of thanks.

“How are we going to do this?” Alicia asks grimly, pulling her cap off and turning it around to assure her visibility.

“In the police academy...” Akira swallows when his father’s hard gaze meets his, but continues bravely. “In the academy, they said gates always had a source. I’m guessing the chimera that opened this gate is the source. They always talked about a gate tear, too. Something that would close all the gates if it’s shut. Maybe our IRIS could pick up the connection?”

Max rubs his chin, scowl easing.

“Maybe if we’re closer,” he concedes after a moment. “Alicia should be able to get a bead on the right one, so she’ll take point. Akira, your Legion has the best sight out of all of us; it’s your job to check for any aerial threats so we can get your sister and Jin back.”

Akira nods hesitantly, and Max nudges them both into moving. “Good. Now walk.”

Max’s tone brooks no argument. Akira obeys, as eager as his father to find the source and remove it so he can start looking for his sister.

Alicia stops him though, her grip firm but gentle on his arm. “I get it,” she says quietly. “You want to protect your sister as best as you can.” She squeezes, lets him go. “Let’s kick this thing’s ass so hard it wishes Jin and Misaki were the ones it was facing.” 

Akira’s lips thin, and he plods along behind her, summoning his Legion to keep an eye on the skies above. It greets him once more with a ripple of affection, readies itself to battle their enemies. Their bond glows softly, and he glares up at the sky.

“They’ll be fine. Jin and Misaki will be fine,” he mutters. His Legion gives a singing hum and sends bolts of light into the sky, as if to send a warning to the chimera it had picked the wrong humans to mess with.

His father rubs his shoulder, worry in his blue eye. 

“That’s the spirit. Now c’mon, we have a gate to find and close.”

Max shoves him lightly, and he jogs after Alicia, whose Legion is sniffing around curiously, before giving a tail wag. It barks - wait, no,  _ she _ , Alicia had said the Beast was a girl - and bounds off after something, the three crossing the plaza warily. Aside from the occasional airdrop of chimeras, it’s quiet.  _ Too _ quiet. They’re all expecting for it to crash and burn, for something to go  _ wrong _ . Alicia’s Legion is sniffing around, tail wagging as it finds something, barking aggressively at thin air. A thin, jagged line of red opens up, seeping red matter in a gory, somewhat terrifying manner. Alicia makes sure her Legion gets a good sniff before closing it, a flick of her wrist directing her partner around and closing the gate up. Akira looks through his partner’s eyes; watches a handful of the gates close.

“It’s working,” Akira reports with a half-grin, though he can’t help but feel anxious.

It's a feeling that is rewarded by a sudden influx of monsters. His partner soars down, and he pets the Arrow on the head affectionately before turning, the two back to back as they rain hell down on the enemy, providing cover fire for his teammates. The faster this was over, the faster they could go after his sister and Jin.

A flash of irrational anger hits him then. She’d done the stupid thing, the noble thing, flinging herself at Jin, who could take care of himself! He knows it’s just common sense, though. Misaki had followed Jin, and he wasn’t alone. Part of Akira feels bitter after he hammers out his anger and rage on the chimeras.

It’s only been four days since they got their Legions, but Misaki was an entirely different person. She’d been cheerful as a kid, sure, but she’d always been shy, hiding behind her twin brother anxiously in large groups. It’d been a huge surprise to see her be so friendly with everyone in Neuron, even the - frankly speaking rather rude - Alan King. She had also suddenly started spending time with Jin, who had become so easily comfortable with her - and  _ him _ . It was as though he’d been watching over them for years, and not just as a favor to Dad. Outside, nothing had changed. But his sister wasn’t the same. She had a hollow look to her, an empty smile and a broken expression on her face when she thought nobody could see her. If she was in public, she hid her face in Jin’s shoulder, and Jin  _ let _ her.

It used to be Akira, fighting off monsters under his big sister’s bed. But somehow, some way, Jin had filled that gap, and Misaki only turned to Akira for affection.

Akira snaps out of his thoughts long enough to switch to the bowgun, using his firearm and his Legion to fire concentrated, staccato bursts of burning shots that nail heads, arms, weapons - anything to provide a little extra cover. Alicia dances amongst the firestorm, her and her Legion using an electricity-spiked chain to wrap around and bind them. Max punishes those that are caught, shattering strikes with his Legion who appears and disappears with every hit, extending their limiter’s time something fierce.

Akira spots an opening, and his partner dashes in, yanks him across the gap as he swaps to a baton to ram it into the face of the incoming threat that had been closing in on Alicia. She shouts a thanks, and he returns it with a nod, twisting his chain around and pinballing around the enemy in a flurry of kicks and hits.

Between lulls in the action, Alicia leads the way, guiding them slowly but surely towards the next gate. At this point they’ve closed so many she doesn’t bother instructing the Beast Legion to memorize the scent, just snaps it shut.

More gates close above, but now, the hands have appeared again - the ones who took his sister and Jin. Akira doesn’t hesitate to go on the offensive; refuses to let it grab another family member. It retreats after enough abuse is heaped upon each limb, and Max grins at him; ruffles his hair. Akira beams back, but the sudden arrival of a smaller gate cuts grins short. Akira hammers a dozen shots into the faces of an incoming pack of beast chimeras. They dissolved into little cubes, and Akira grasps Alicia’s hand, hauls her up. There’s a bloody streak of color on her face, and she’s limping from where she had tripped on some rubble.

“I gotcha,” Akira says with a smile; tries not to flinch when the crash of something impacting Max’s shield sounds. They’re only one gate away, and Alicia has to wait for a distraction before she can make a break for it.

A distraction they  _ all _ end up watching. Brilliant blue chains attached to  _ extremely _ familiar Legions slam into the roof, sending up shards of stone. They cross over one another, creating a hexagon pattern and nailing every chimera to the ground before disappearing back into the sky towards their wielders.

Alicia breaks into a sprint, leaping onto her Legion and racing for the final gate. A heartbeat and her partner seals it away. More gates close above, leaving only the one the hands were controlling. The blue chains had shattered with the sealing of the last gate, taking away the evidence that Misaki and Jin were okay. Those chimeras that had been on the ground began to stir. Some had been killed on impact with the plaza, but those that hadn’t - and there was plenty of those - were pretty damaged. Easy pickings for a well-aimed shot.

“Uh, guys… We’ve got a problem.”

Alicia’s dubious tone makes Akira look away from the chimeras, unknowingly mimicking his father who also turns to face her. Alicia points up.

Above their heads, the gate was tearing open wider, hands gripping the edges of the gate as the monster tries to escape. The head of the chimera is  _ enormous _ , and Akira readies his partner’s bow to fire, even as he knows that it’ll do nothing but annoy the damn thing.

Then more chains appear, wrapping around the floating torso and yanking it back inside. The hands are unimpeded however, and it’s obvious it was fighting the pull. Which has… interesting consequences.

When the team’s feet start to leave the ground, they immediately start trying to get them all  _ back  _ on the ground, scrabbling for purchase before they were all yanked in. Too late: They were already lifting from the ground and soaring through the gate in an inelegant arc.

Akira manages to stumble into a landing, but by Alicia and Max’s yelp, he was the only one. His Legion - which had disappeared during the sudden shift in locale - quickly reappears, reassures itself that he’s okay, petting his head and giving soft crooning noises of worry that he reads through the bond. He pushes back affectionately, and she settles, before swirling around him in interested curiosity.

She? Yeah... His partner  _ felt _ more like a “she”.  _ She  _ was better than calling her an  _ it _ all the time.

Akira’s head hurts a little, distracting him from thoughts of Legions and genders. He attributes the ache to the sudden shift in locations, the odd pressure that reminds him of being up really high in a helicopter. He sneezes, shakes his head in annoyance as he tries to clear the stuffiness away. He feels  _ weird _ here, like there’s two of him walking around in his body.

“Is this… the Astral Plane?”

Max sounds disgusted, though Akira can’t imagine why. It’s a surprisingly pretty place, for the home of chimeras. He glances at his father, is surprised to see the bright golden glow that ripples over his skin and veins, turns his hair the color of sunset. Akira shakes his head. Misaki was in here somewhere. Now was  _ not _ the time to get distracted.

“Well, whatever it is, we should get moving. Misaki and Jin have been in here, and they dragged that monster back in - they need our backup.” Alicia says practically, kneeling by a fallen item. “Huh. Smart girl.” She summons her Legion, and Akira gets a good look at what Alicia had picked up. It was Misaki’s gas mask, the cheery symbol easily displaying who had last used it. “I’ll bet Jin dropped his somewhere, too. That’s good - this place hasn’t begun to affect their reasoning or cognitive function.” 

Akira’s heart clenches, and Alicia takes in his expression.

“Don’t worry. They’re tough. We’ll find them,” Alicia reassures him, before sending her Legion out to track. It prowls against the ground, sniffing at the mask before immediately turning heel and tugging at her chain. Alicia yelps, but follows behind her Legion as it tries to drag her along.

Akira holds on to that hope, racing along after Alicia’s Beast with dread pooling in his gut. Misaki was his sister, and with the way she’d thrown herself into that chimera’s path when it came to protecting him still sat uneasy. He had a feeling that Misaki would do the same if Jin was threatened, and that pushes him to run a little faster, towards whatever the Beast Legion could sense.

They hear the sounds of battle before they see them, the ground rattling below their feet at the cacophony of sound. They cross another ridge, and Akira’s heart stops.

Misaki lays still, Jin in front of her, weapon braced to block. This far away they cannot see too much detail of them, but Jin doesn’t look good. Max’s teeth grit, and Alicia looks at them both, frown curling her lips.

Akira flings out his partner, and she flows affectionately over the bond, head swivelling this way and that as she observes each path, crooning in worry when she finds nothing close by. Their options are sparse - Akira could risk a couple of chain jumps, his Legion was the fastest, but that was no guarantee that they would be able to get across the gap without falling into the abyss. Even the Captain couldn’t figure out a safe path over, not without a detour that could end… poorly. This place was a maze, one complicated enough that if they lost sight of them now, there was little chance they’d be able to find Misaki and Jin in time, even if Alicia used her Legion.

Max brings his Legion close, discusses quietly with it in low tones while Alicia paces restlessly, brown eyes flicking over the spaces with a frown on her features. The Beast Legion is running wild around her, sniffing every stone as though they hold the secrets to saving their teammates. The Arrow Legion bows before him, and when he touches her forehead, Akira feels the despondent air that surrounds her.

_ Can you? _ he asks silently, picturing her firing her arrows. She shakes her head, croons in disappointment. Arrow couldn’t muster up enough energy to figure a shot that far. They didn’t have that much energy to spare.

Max gives an annoyed growl, and whistles at them. Alicia jogs over, frowning.

“I have a plan,” Max says reluctantly. “It’s not the best, but if you have any ideas I’m  _ all _ ears.” Akira winces at his father’s tone, but nods, waits for him to go ahead with his suggestion. “Between my Legion and myself, we should be able to get you guys across to the other platform. It’ll be a dead drop from there for the two of you. I should be able to get across on my own from there without worrying about leaving you both behind.”

Alicia’s mouth opens to protest, but Akira shakes his head at her.

“You sure about this Captain?” Akira asks carefully, and Max gives a wince.

“Not really. But again, I have no better ideas than the one my partner came up with.” Max says, unhappily. Alicia makes to protest again, but an earsplitting screech cuts her off. Akira’s head whips to the sight of Jin, now visibly bloody and one arm seemingly mangled.

Like it or not, they were out of time.


	13. 〖Transmogrify〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To transform in a surprising or magical manner.

Jin’s arm hurts all over. The injury that had previously been minor had gotten more intense, a once dull ache now a burning sear that curled deep within his body. His Arm Legion had faded, pushed beyond its limits and now recuperating.

Misaki had collapsed just a minute ago, her sudden resync catching them both off guard and ending too soon, taking her out of the fight at the worst possible time.

Jin had been doing his best to defend them both since. The fruits of his labor were easily seen - much of the chimera’s armor had flaked off, and the face looked as though it had been run through a power shredder.

However, his energy was beginning to ebb, and he clutches at his weapon desperately, feels blood trail over his lips, nose bleeding from the hit to the face he’d taken a while ago. His eyes narrow behind his glasses at the sight of the damn thing pulling itself back together. The monster’s arms float slowly around like its smug, sensing victory. Jin growls under his breath, hefts his weapon higher. This thing wanted Misaki? It would go through his dead body first.

The fist plummets towards him, and he lifts his hands, prepares to block.

The impact never comes.

A large axe is embedded in the ground, gold shimmering over every edge and plane as it holds fast, stops the attack cold. Jin’s knees buckle at the sudden flood of relief, and he slumps to the ground, more than a little exhausted. Misaki hasn’t stirred, and he can hear Akira fussing over his sister behind him, though his own eyes are glued to the threat. His vision is hazy, his head hurts, and every inch of his body is fighting him to just… sleep.

Gentle fingers touch his shoulder. Alicia hauls him up, carrying him back to where Misaki is. Akira’s lips thin slightly, but then he takes a look over Jin and his face softens at how beat up he is. Akira reaches into a pocket, digs out a stronger medicine pack and a cloth.

“I’ll watch out for Jin - you help the Captain,” Akira tells Alicia.

The woman nods, lays Jin out on his back gently before rushing off to help Max. Max doesn’t seem like he needs much help: He’s making short work of the ruined, dying chimera. Jin watches Akira dampen the rag and place it over his nose gently, before peeling off the bandage on his arm. Akira has to half-force the jacket off, Jin barely able to assist him given the damage he had taken.

Jin winces slightly, and gives a muffled yelp of pain when the medicine-soaked bandage is reapplied, the solution sinking into the cut. It itches something fierce, and he gives a faint whine of irritation as it does its work against his injury.

“What happened to Misaki?” Akira’s eyes are not forgiving, hard as steel, and Jin recalls his short tenure as Captain of the RAVEN Forces.

“She synchronized. It didn’t last very long though. She passed out a few minutes ago - after we dragged that thing back in,” Jin reports, wincing as Akira applies a little too much force. The boy murmurs a half-hearted apology, trying to tend to the injury a little more gently.

Gentle isn’t possible as Akira moves on to his nose, grips it firmly. It hurts to be touched, but Jin gives him a quick nod, and Akira winces as he sets it back into place with a sharp jerk of his hand. Jin curses softly, slumps back down on the ground as stars burst in his vision. Akira applies the soaked rag again, and Jin wonders how the battle is doing - the sound has faded away, leaving him with only Akira and Misaki.

There’s a more immediate question he needs answered. “Is she okay?” he asks, coughing when Akira tests his ribs as gently as possible.

“A tiny bump from where she fell, but the IRIS shows no concussions or severe damage aside from some bruising and a few electrical shocks. She’ll be fine once we get home,” Akira reports, focusing on Jin’s injuries. Jin is unconvinced, makes to move, and Akira glowers at him. The expression is so like Max’s Jin freezes.

Akira orders, “Don’t you dare move yet. You’re hurt you moron.” He jabs a finger into the uninjured section of Jin’s chest, and Jin winces slightly. “She’s  _ fine _ .” Akira’s voice lowers, tone soft. “Thank you for that. I was really worried.” 

Jin smiles up at him, glad to have given the boy a little peace of mind. “I didn’t want you to lose her,” he says, and Akira stills, looks at him in wonder. A smile, small and real, appears on his face.

“Thanks,” he murmurs, cheeks flush at Jin’s words. “C’mon.”

The boy hauls him up, and he stands shakily, head aching, but still in one piece. Jin kneels down, to lift a still unconscious Misaki within his grasp. She’s too light, he thinks with a frown, cradles her closer to his chest protectively. Akira watches the whole exchange with an odd expression, but allows Jin to cradle Misaki, before turning his full focus onto the fight. Misaki stirs slightly, a noise of soft protest leaving her mouth.

“I got you,” Jin says reassuringly, and Misaki’s body settles. He can feel the whisper of her Legion under her skin.

_ Don’t, _ Jin tries to will it.  _ A fusion now would put Misaki in the Commander’s sights _ . 

Her Legion gives a grumpy noise from the shelter of the Legatus, a sound more felt than heard, but concedes to Jin’s good sense. It knows Jin wants what it does: To keep Misaki safe.

Jin curls her closer, follows behind Akira. His head hurts too much to do anything more than follow, and he knows it doesn’t bode well. They’re in the  _ Astral Plane _ . Misaki’s memory of the event was fresh, but Jin knew  _ quite _ well what was likely to happen. The Arm Legion shudders within its cradle, and he feels a thread of grim happiness that his partner wasn’t looking forward to it, either.

Jin isn’t foolish enough to not notice how Akira kept his body between them and the battle at all times, his gaze flicking between them and the fight that was winding down.

In an impressive bout of strength, Max uses both hands and hauls the body of the Arm-Type chimera up. The Axe Legion appears, bracing its weapon skyward. Max slams the body down, and the Axe’s blade impales the chimera cleanly through the chest.

The body twitches, before dissolving into the tell-tale cubes.

Jin gives a sigh of relief. Misaki’s head shifts against his arm, before the girl blinks sleepily up at him, gives a quiet moan of pain.

Akira hustles over immediately. “Sis!” His exclamation is quiet; Jin allows Akira to take Misaki out of his arms. “Are you okay?”

Misaki blearily stares at her brother, perplexed. “Kira… when did you end up here?” Misaki reaches for him, and Akira lets her hand touch his face. She smiles, blissful pleasure on her features. “You’re safe… I’m so glad...”

Jin knows what she’s not saying, and quietly takes her back into his arms; coaxes her into standing on her own, though one of Jin’s hands cups the back of her head. She sways slightly at first, before leaning into him and holding fast. Akira scurries closer, and Alicia and Max join up with them, express their own worry.

Max sweeps his daughter into his arms, and it’s a testament to the whole mess that Misaki lets him without a sound. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he murmurs into her hair, squeezes her tight. Misaki squeezes him back in a hug herself, clearly glad for the attention. Eventually, Max has to let her down, and Alicia checks Jin over while Max fusses over his daughter.

Their comms all fritz, as though someone is trying to contact them. Jin winces, fingers lifting up to his earpiece, and he grimaces when the noise happens again. He flips channels, and Olive’s voice comes in at full blast for all of them once she connects to his unit. Misaki yelps, yanks the unit out of her ear. While nobody else’s reactions are so extreme, it’s not unfair to say that the rest of them would have done the same. 

**There you all are!** Olive’s voice is panicked, but her tone shifts into warm relief the moment contact is made.  **I’m so glad you guys could patch through - I thought the worst when the gate closed behind you all. Is everyone okay?**

One at a time, they all offer their affirmatives; Jin speaks last, his eyes on a shaking Misaki. “We’re good so far - but we have no idea where we are.”

Certainly, the Astral Plane was a lovely place. Misaki had frequently shown him photos she would take between rescuing civilians and small animals, and he’d thought there to be an almost ethereal quality to them. But for all it’s beauty, he does  _ not _ want to stay longer than absolutely necessary.

“Olive - is anything registering?” Jin asks. He can hear the rapid click of nails on a screen, the five of them waiting on her. Misaki gives up on the waiting game, scurries over with a second medpack she’d been hiding somewhere on her person and inspecting Jin for damage, eyes lingering on his blood-crusted nose. Jin smiles wryly at her, and Misaki checks her pockets, offers him a handkerchief and the bottle. He accepts, dampens the fabric and wipes his nose clean. Misaki winces as the blood is stripped away. Max glances over, eye widening as he gets a good view of the damage.

“I guess I ruined my movie-star good looks,” Jin quips, tries to ease the tension of the wait.

Alicia kicks a foot over the ground and snorts, “As if you were ever that close.”

That breaks the tense atmosphere, and they all chuckle a little. Misaki plucks the rag out of his hands, dampens it with the bottle, and cleans his face off herself. Jin rolls his eyes at the attention. He lets her regardless, pulls his glasses off so she doesn’t contend with them, and he can feel the warmth of her smile. He slips his glasses back on; notices immediately that Max is eyeing him with deep suspicion. Alicia is  _ smirking _ at him, and Jin doesn’t want to read too deeply into that - looks away from her into Misaki’s tremulous smile.

The headache hits like a tidal wave, slams all of them as though physically forced upon them. Jin’s hands reach for his head; but his eyes are roving over every inch. It was always a sudden onset of redshifting, Misaki’s notes had stressed.  _ Someone _ had always triggered the act of their redshift infection. Jin had groaned when he’d read those notes - how could it have affected them all at the same time, if Misaki had been in the longest? There was no way they should have all been affected at once.

**Guys!** Olive’s voice is panicking - that’s a reasonable response, given that she’d probably just gotten their readings in.  **What’s going on?**

Jin waits to see if anyone will answer, before doing so himself. “Redshift. It hit us all - hard. The Astral Plane must have triggered it.”

Jin winces as a curl of pain sears up his spine, hand coming to his chest. He’s still searching for a sign of Anderson, but finds nothing. Could she really not be involved?

Alicia is leaning on Max, who is holding Akira up as well. Max looks the least affected of them. His Legion - it had to be mitigating the redshift. Misaki’s head tilts up, mouths a single word when the others aren’t facing her.

_ Biosignals. _

Jin’s briefly puzzled, before it clicks into place in his mind. In this timeline, there had been no civilians kidnapped. Jena must have been the one to create the false biosignals of civilians in distress. A different timeline, but still the same: He can hear the damning words spoken again. Max as always is determined to do the right thing, even though the gate for them to leave was  _ right _ there. Jin could just yank them through…

His fingers twitch, but his Legion - silent until now - ripples along their bond; spectral chains shimmering in warning.

_ Leavingworse Jinfriend. Leavingwill _ ** _be_ ** _ worse. _

Jin’s fingers twitch again, but he has to trust in his bond. Trust in his  _ partner _ to be right.

Jin follows behind them, helping to haul Misaki up, the two bracing one another. The headache is worse than the first time this had been done to them, and he holds her fast; worries about the consequences of letting go. They walk, slow and painful, towards the signals, suffering under a mounting headache that prickles at his spine. Misaki’s pain is obvious to him, eyes scrunched shut and the young woman whimpering under her breath. Every step sends bolts of agony up his spine, the corrosion digging deep into his bones and slowing his movements like a particularly virulent plague.

The reach the plane a broken, quiet huddle. Akira is the first to collapse, slipping from his father’s grip and landing on his hands and knees, breath coming out fast and short, color flush over his face. Misaki goes down next, giving a low cry of agony. Max follows behind, and Alicia tumbles with him.

Jin is the last to go down, and he grimaces in physical pain as the impact jars his body. His hand moves to his arm, which throbs sharply, centered on his wrist. The chain there is revolting - the links squirm as though fighting against a deeper force, each one bursting open. His Legatus falls apart as his Legion fights its way to freedom.

_ Jinfriend. Sorry - hurting - didn’t meaninevitablefatehurts _ -!

Their connection snaps like an overstrung wire, fragmented thoughts roiling in his head as his Legion is ripped from him.

Their Legions stand before them, enemies once more.


	14. 〖Nemesis〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Greek goddess of Revenge and Balance; A mortal enemy.

It’s odd, but the pain of the redshift seems to disappear at the moment of their separation. His arm still hurts like hell, though, and he knows it’s going to get worse.

Jin curses softly under his breath, hands trembling as he forces himself to his feet. His partner watches him, red eyes unfathomable as it respectfully waits for him to stand. Jin’s expression is blank as he takes the situation in, fingertips skimming his X-Baton. They only had so long to attempt a capture, Jin recalls, grip firming around his weapon.

He lunges forward, his Legion meeting him in a flare of sparks.

Olive is shouting in his ear, and in his impatience, Jin yanks the unit out; stuffs it into a pocket between a dodge and a lunge. There’s no  _ time _ to think; no room to be distracted. Not against an enemy that knows his soul inside and out.

He can hear the battles raging around him, sees the sparks flying; gives them only a passing note as he grasps the gladius in both hands, lifts to block the strength of the arm that cannons into his guard. He skids back, the force sending him nearly to the edge.

Jin’s focus is fully on his partner. There’s a flicker along the dulled links, and he can feel the fleeting thought of  _ regret _ . It fades quickly, and the bond fills with hate. Jin flinches back, his body instinctively rebelling against the foreign emotions that flood his spirit like boiling tar.

The moment of distraction costs him - the fist that plows into his side catches him unawares, and he’s sent flying. Training lets him turn his body so the impact doesn’t break any of his bones. The Legion is upon him in the next moment, rage and fury that feels so out of place Jin doesn’t know how he missed it. He pushes back, and tries to connect again, uses the dying bond to send his thoughts back.

_ Partners. Misakisister objectiveprotect punchlots! _

The fist hurtling towards him stops, twitches minutely. Jin manages to raise his sword in defense, stumbles back when the self-control exhibited fails. It’s driving him further from his team, every step bringing him closer to the edge.

The edge cracks as his weight is brought upon it, and he slips, manages to toss himself to a side, save himself from falling. His attempts to reconnect have met with fierce opposition. His Legion is  _ trying _ , whispers of regret and  _ Jinfriend _ between the swamp of hate and rage. Every moment Jin reaches, tries, pushes on the bound, his Legion responds further. Again it twitches to a stop before continuing. The manipulation is too strong for his Legion to resist for longer than a moment.

But the tableau doesn’t last forever. The Arm Legion succeeds in doing exactly what it had been aiming for: A well-timed punch breaks Jin’s guard and sends Jin off the edge, hurtling into the abyss below. Jin can hear the screams of alarm from his teammates past the snarling Legions, even as the rush of wind fills his ears.

He reaches for his Legatus, an eerie calm taking over his every thought as he focuses on the bond.

This time, the chain answers his intent. It flares bright blue as it soars up, a sound like the crashing of glass echoing in his ears. The rage hits him full force, harder than any punch. But then it stops cold, as though ice had been poured through the bond.

His Legion gives a screech; worry fills their connection as it dives for him.  ** _Jinfriend_ ** _ ! _

It snatches him up gently, hauling him back onto solid ground, and Jin winces as his bruises are aggravated. He can see flares of color - red, blue, gold… and  _ silver? _ He’s baffled by the last, looks up to see Alicia, wide-eyed and glowing a softer, subtle silver. Jin gives a tired grin, feels rather than sees Misaki run to him, hauling him up with surprising strength. His chain is a brighter shade of blue than her own, and she smiles up at him.

“Hey,” Jin says quietly. Misaki’s eyes are brimming with tears - happy ones. He can see Max ready to step forward at the sign of her tears, and he cups her face, wipes them away with his thumbs. “It’s okay.  _ I’m _ okay,” Jin reassures her, Miaski sniffling as she wraps him into a hug. “Is everyone okay?” Jin asks, fishing out his earpiece and putting it back on.

Alicia’s the one who answers, silver hair and eyes flickering as the Beast Legion nudges the back of her knee, gives her a little whine. She flashes him a smile, wide and friendly despite being visibly unsettled. “We’re fine, but we all thought you were done for.”

He lets Misaki go, and the young woman pulls back, rubs at her face vigorously. Jin watches as she flushes a bit, and follows her gaze to a smirking Akira.

_ I don’t think I’ll ever understand those two _ , he thinks. The stray thought gets a chirruped agreement from his Legion and their bond flexes happily.  _ Is this what you meant? _ he asks his Legion, fingertips scratching over the headplate.  _ That this wouldn’t happen if we left? _

The Arm Legion bumps his hand excitedly, and he gives it another affectionate scratch.

_ I suppose I have to bow to your superior wisdom _ , Jin chuckles. His Legion purrs, likewise relieved and mirthful.

A pointed cough, and Jin turns to face his Captain; a sheepish grin on his face. “You know, when you said you’d emulate me, I thought you meant  _ professionally _ ,” Max says dryly. “Getting yourself thrown off of things to kickstart a synchronization is a bit much.”

They all relax, share a quiet laugh together. Misaki has stepped back, and Jin misses her closeness, though he doesn’t twitch closer to her in concern of what might be done by Alicia. Alicia is already wiggling her eyebrows at him, saucy grin on her face. Jin twists his body to a side, discreetly flips her off in the shadow of his Legion. She laughs at him, amusement in her silver-ringed eyes.

Olive breaks the moment, and Jin scowls a little. He likes the true Commander, but this was a time for the team, and he can feel the warmth of their connections cool in annoyance.

“We should head out,” Akira suggests after Olive finishes gushing at them. “The biosignals are gone. There’s no telling what we’ll run into, and even if we’re all...” He holds up a fistful of glowing red chain, a bit stunned. “... Like this, then we really should get out for now.”

His advice is sound. Jin rubs at his forehead; gives his Captain an arch look, waiting on his orders.

Thankfully, Max doesn’t disappoint: “Team Neuron - new standing orders. We’ll make our way back to where the gate was opened and see if we can hitch a ride back from there. Alicia, inform Olive that we’ll be making our way back to where Jin and Misaki got taken. Jin, take point.”

Jin nods, and his fingers brush Misaki’s arm with gentle intent. He can feel the weight of curiosity, but it’s allowed to slide for now - after Jin and she had taken such a jaunt, such closeness was to be expected. Jin can feel how much Misaki wants to watch his back, but she obediently - and sullenly - plods her way back to the rear of their impromptu triangle formation, per Max’s silent glare.

_ Oops, _ Jin thinks. Max always had been protective of his little girl. As such, Jin doesn’t say anything, flashes Misaki a reassuring smile. A single gold-ringed eye watches her reluctance, and Jin shrugs apologetically. They all still glow bright - shades that encompass every aspect of their color. Their Legions float along beside them, their own senses kept on high alert.

Olive’s voice is quiet, and she seems to be keeping track of them, though how Jin isn’t entirely sure. He remembers enough of this strange place to know where they had landed, and when they end up in the clearing, he can see Misaki perk up out of the corner of his eye. Well. She did have the most experience coming through the Astral Plane. She glances towards his Legion, and he turns on a hunch to face his Arm Legion.

_ Jinfriend? Do you need me to open the gate? _ The intent comes through easily, and he gives a relieved smile, reaches to scratch the top of its head gently.

“If you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate the help,” he confirms.

His Legion gives another deep purr, twining around their connection like some kind of cat, before reaching for the invisible edges of a door Jin couldn’t for the life of him sense. Watching the gate open on command was… unique, for lack of a better word, and Jin curiously pokes his head out to check where they were.

Huh. The top of the Plaza. At least his partner had taken the possible climb up into consideration. Jin gestures mildly, and one by one, they step out, Max all but shoving his daughter in front of him.

_ Hum _ . _ Must have really triggered a parental response somewhere, _ Jin thinks wryly, hopping out after them. He has a moment to notice that there’s a helicopter waiting.

Then nothing, as the world spins around him, going black in the next moment.

Jin wakes to the beeping of machines. His head hurts, and idly, he recognizes where he is. Getting them all back to medical must have been an interesting logistics puzzle. He sits up after a moment, glad for the lack of IVs and monitors. He’s the furthest from Brenda’s desk, and the first to wake, as far as he can see. He pokes his head around a curtain, and finds Misaki snoozing away like a kitten. Max is sitting there already, and he glowers at Jin when he sees him. Jin ignores his Captain, draws up by her side.

He peels his glove off to card his fingers card through her hair. He relaxes the moment the touch confirms what Akira had said in the Astral Plane; there’s no trace of the concussion that had knocked her out. He smiles down at her, relieved. The sound of a pointed cough causes Jin to look up. There’s an odd look on his Captain’s face. The expression is still grouchy - which is to be expected - but there’s a surprised expression mixing within it, as though he’d seen something unexpected. His Captain’s blue eye watches him shrewdly. Jin smiles easily at Max, doesn’t hide away from his actions.

The Captain stands, and jerks a thumb over towards the exit. Jin capitulates with a raised brow. He knows how Brenda is, but sighs. This was a conversation that was  _ long _ overdue, and Misaki and he had to pay penance for their actions somehow. He’d discussed it some during their days between her joining and the case they’d completed. Still, it annoyed him that it was being taken into use so quickly.

Max’s arms cross, eye narrowing in suspicious concern.

“Yes Captain?” Jin says with a sigh, rubbing at the back of his head before pulling off his other glove and stuffing it in the same pocket that held the first.

“When are you going to explain that?” Max pokes a finger out towards Misaki, who is still soundly asleep.

Jin resists the urge to growl at his Captain. The urge comes from deep inside him, sparks racing up and down his arm. His Legion is bristling protectively within him, powerful presence ready to be summoned.

_ Down, dearheart. Now is not the time _ .

His Legion gives a displeased growl of anger, but abates within him. Jin relaxes himself, rolling back onto his heels, shows an open and comfortable air. Max untenses along with him, and Jin raises a brow, asking without words.

Max gives him a little glare, but huffs, laying out the problem: “First you blow me out of the water in a spar, then my  _ Legion _ starts getting along with me. Not to mention you treat my daughter and son as though you’ve been watching over them for  _ years _ rather than a once-off occasion.”

Jin winces internally.

He knew this was coming. Even so, he shakes his head, an overt refusal to answer. Max’s eye narrows into a sharp glare, anger filling his gaze.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s that I made your daughter an oath - and you know how seriously I take those,” Jin says flatly. He matches his Captain’s gaze, unrelenting and eyes cold. “I gave Misaki my  _ word _ , and I refuse to break that.”

Max glowers at him silently for several minutes. Eventually, Max sighs, unbending from his glare.

“She’s my  _ daughter _ ,” Max says fiercely. “I can’t protect her if I don’t know what’s going on.”

Jin holds his gaze, but eventually, he shakes his head.

“You think I don’t understand?” Jin counters with equal fireocity, takes a challenging step forward. “I asked her if we could talk about it to you, and she  _ begged _ me not to. Misaki was  _ terrified _ for you, because she thought it would get you, specifically,  _ killed _ .”

Max jerks back, eye going wide. Max’s expression becomes troubled, and he casts his gaze towards his still-sleeping daughter.

Jin’s hand reaches out and grasps Max’s arm. He pleads, “Captain,  _ please _ .  _ I’m _ begging you. Drop. It.”

Max nearly jerks his arm out of Jin’s hold, but at the sight of his expression, he presses his lips together in a thin line.

“It’s that serious?” Max asks quietly. Jin gives a sharp nod, doesn’t look away. Max heaves a defeated sigh, and rubs the back of his neck again. “Fuck - I - do you two have this under control for now?” 

Jin almost sags in relief. “For now. But I’m not sure how long that’ll last.” Jin admits. “I’ll work on her Captain. I promise.”

Max heaves a sigh, and gives a reluctant nod.

“I’ll expect to hear  _ something _ about this soon, then,” Max concedes, expression dubious, but reluctantly willing to lay off for the moment.

Jin lets him go, and knows the relief on his face is far more obvious than he’s willing to admit to. “Thank you Captain,” 

Max jabs a finger against his chest, annoyed. The Captain growls, “Thank me after I kick your ass for holding a secret from me.” Reigning himself in, Max crosses his arms and looks back over to where Misaki was sleeping. He delivers a final threat: “You better protect my little girl.”

Jin’s lips quirk up into a smile, head tilting.

“Now that’s what I’ve been doing Captain. I promise you, her safety is my priority.” Jin looks back at her, before meeting his gaze. “Strong enough to protect all three of you,” he repeats quietly. “I’d rather die than break that promise.”


	15. 〖Plainclothes〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ordinary clothes rather than uniform, especially when worn as a disguise by police officers.

“Don’t need to know what’s changed my pretty little derriere. It’s  _ my _ fucking body - does anyone realize that?” Misaki mutters angrily under her breath, a scowl growing over her features as she makes her way over to him. Jin allows a tolerant grin over his face, watches her as she fights with her Legatus.

Misaki stomps past him. Two stomps away, she stops, and sheepishly returns, getting a laugh from Jin.

“You’re a riot,” he tells her, and she blushes at his words. “I’m guessing you’re  _ not _ a big fan of Brenda’s ‘it’s okay, she’ll get to you later’ motto?” Misaki glares up at him, and he spies a hint of blue within her eyes.

“Oh, like you’re such a big fan of it yourself,” she snaps, and Jin grins wryly.

“I’m not. But lucky for me, I know how to hack. I’ve got a copy of everyone’s reports.” Misaki’s jaw drops, and he grins wider. “I used to be in the tech division, and while I wasn’t bad, your old man thought I’d be of more use under his wing,” Jin chuckles softly. “Even so, I kept up with the latest news.”

The two of them walk downstairs, chatting idly together about miscellaneous things. Both stumble to a near stop when they see Max waiting at the bottom of the stairs, his lone blue eye eagle-sharp against their surprise. Max crosses his arms, watches them shrewdly. Misaki shrinks a little behind Jin, and he finds his voice.

“Captain.” Jin’s greeting is neutral, and his words get an annoyed grunt.

“Is this about that thing you can’t tell me about?” Max questions sharply. Misaki shrinks even more, unable to meet his gaze. Jin doesn’t let that get to him, smiles back.

“It is. We’re following up on a lead in plainclothes,” Jin answers. Max only gives another grunt, glowers at them. Misaki is half-hiding behind Jin, a small squeak leaving her.

Max hisses out, before clapping a hand over his face. A breath in. A breath out.

“I want a report,” Max snaps.

Jin tilts his head politely. “Of course sir. We should have enough to report on soon.”

Misaki squeaks again when her father’s hard gaze lands on her. Max softens, just a touch. His hand rests on her head, and she gives him a surprised look.

“Please be careful,” Max says softly, tone at odds with his earlier demeanor. “You know I worry - even if my little girl can kick ass and take names all on her own.” He bends, plants a kiss on her forehead, before leveling a glare towards Jin. “You protect her,” he says darkly.

Misaki, reassured that her father wasn’t angry at her, gives Jin an annoyed look of her own. It amuses him, but he answers as seriously as he can.

“I gave you my word,” Jin returns, and Max nods, relaxing at the confirmation. Max claps Jin on the shoulder, presses another kiss against his daughter’s forehead, and then allows them both exit the building under his silent, watchful gaze. Once they’re far enough away, Misaki hits Jin in the arm hard enough to make him wince and rub what’s sure to be a bruise.

“ _ What was that? _ ” Misaki hisses, her expression sliding into annoyed displeasure. “What happened?”

Jin slides her a glance, before blowing out a breath of concern. He leads her to his bike, and leans against it.

“You got another one of those hideouts?” Jin says instead, and Misaki taps her fingers against her Legatus, looking through the list of Zones before brightening.

“There’s one in Zone 47 that I never-”

Jin interrupts her, eyes widening. “Whoa whoa whoa hold up.” Jin’s hand flashes up, and she quiets, blinks up at him. “Zone  _ where? _ ”

She blinks again, answers him with a faintly befuddled tone of voice. “Zone… 47? It’s in the lower part of town, but apparently there’s a ramen stand down there that’s worth the time of day.”

Jin can’t help it - barks out a laugh, shakes his head. Misaki looks a little offended.

“I grew up down there. You’re talking about Matsuda’s Ramen and Bento Stand, aren’t you?” Jin lets an incredulous grin crack over his lips, and Misaki nods along, her good humor returning. “I can’t believe you’ve been hanging around my old haunt. It’s down near the old canals. There’s a fishing port nearby - we can get a good meal from there and head to that hideout of yours.” Misaki agrees with a nod, and Jin escorts her to his bike. “You want to share a ride, or do you want to follow behind?”

Misaki considers it, light brown eyes thoughtful. “Well, you’re the one who knows where the ramen stand is. I’ve never been in that part of Zone 47,” Misaki says with a smile.

Jin gives a small laugh, mounts his bike and waits until Misaki slots her body against his, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head against his back.

“Ready!” she chirps, clearly excited, and Jin pulls into oncoming traffic. He’s less of an adrenaline junkie this close to the station, but once they’re out of the crushing traffic, Jin kicks up the speed, hears a muffled, delighted whoop from Misaki and laughs, pressing against his bike and streamlining them. The world is nearly a blur of color, but Jin has taken this path often enough to know where to get off without any signs, peeling out of the colorful assortment of cars to a quiet exit.

The smell of salt air grows stronger with every moment, and Jin relaxes as they get closer to his home turf; speeds up and follows the familiar paths. Between a familiar press of a warm body and the purr of the motorcycle beneath him, it’s almost  _ too _ comfortable. Part of him is quite internally vocal in the disappointment of being let go as Misaki slips free, curiously looking around.

Jin allows himself to take a look at Misaki as she looks at his home zone in excited delight. She rarely wears them, but today she had chosen a soft skirt and another loose sweater. Jin’s eyes roam down, to see her wearing a pair of cute heels. Misaki looks  _ nice _ .

Jin’s face flushes as he realizes he’s - bluntly speaking - checking her out.

_ I guess Max has a reason to be concerned after all _ , Jin thinks in embarrassment. He composes himself enough to push off his seat, striding over to her and settling a possessive hand on her shoulder. More than one man eyeing her looks away, quickly occupying themselves while Misaki curiously looks up at him.

“I did promise you a meal, didn’t I?” Jin smiles down at her, decides to shelve his inappropriate feelings for later consideration. Which basically meant never.

Misaki brightens, and he ruffles her hair, the two walking side by side as he points out a few landmarks for her. At once she brings up her notes, adding the information Jin provides.

“This here is Matsuda’s Ramen and Bento. He’s an  _ ornery _ bastard, I’m warning you,” Jin teases, before hearing an annoyed grunt.

“Who in the nine hells is slandering my good name?!” The yell makes Jin laugh as he pulls up a seat, Misaki joining him. “You can’t just say things like that and pull-” The older man storms in, pulls up short at the sight. His craggy face breaks into a smile, and he slams his hand on Jin’s shoulder. “As I live and breathe! Jin Wong! I haven’t seen your ugly face here for months!”

Jin rolls his eyes, punches his shoulder back. Matsuda steps back, gives a theatrical groan.

“You have zero space to talk - I was here a week and a half ago,” Jin laughs, Misaki watching with wide eyes. Matsuda gives him a gimlet glare, before shifting his gaze to Misaki.

“Oh-ho! This is the first time you’ve brought along such a pretty young lady with you though!” Matsuda’s words make Misaki blush, and Jin fights to keep his own face from going red. “I can’t say you have good taste if you’re hanging around this rascal, but  _ he _ certainly does if he’s brought you here!” Jin gives it up as a lost cause, punches Matsuda again, gets an ‘oomph’ of surprise. “Oi! Watch that strength of yours,” Matsuda complains, rubs his arm. “Just for that I should feed you a grasshopper or two.”

Misaki raises an eyebrow, and Jin snorts.

“Try it and it ends up in your pants, old man. Now can we order some bento to go or do I have to wait for you to wax poetic about how beautiful Misaki is?”

Misaki gives a snort at his smart-assery, and Matsuda glowers at him. “I’ll double charge you for that cheek, you bratty boy.” Too used to his antics, Jin rolls his eyes, gives Misaki a grin as she chokes a laugh behind a hand. Matsuda turns on Misaki, promising, “Don’t worry beautiful girl, I’ll make sure he knows to treat you.”

Misaki is giggling, and Jin smiles at how at ease she is, hand resting softly over her lower back, tracing tiny circles there. She stiffened in surprise, before relaxing and smiling affectionately at him.

“Two Matsuda special Bento and Ramen to go.  _ Each _ ,” Jin adds, and Misaki glances at him curiously, but doesn’t object. Matsuda snorts, but goes off to prepare their meals. Once they’re as close to alone as they’ll get, Jin addresses her. “One of the things in our reports is that we need an increased calorie intake. This should cover us just in case. I’ll have to argue with Brenda to get a more detailed answer so that we aren’t starving ourselves. This should hold us just in case.”

Misaki touches his arm in return, and Jin realizes he’s stopped circling her lower back. He starts it back up, and her body relaxes happily against his touch.

“You’re sweet,” she tells him, and he ignores the blush that rises from her teasing. She chuckles, leans against him. They stay silent after that, watching the dimly lit TV that blared the news to all and sundry about the unusual gate opening near the Plaza.

Matsuda returns, but the old goat doesn’t get a word in before Jin’s eyes narrow into a sharp glare. A warning. Matsuda sticks his tongue out at Jin, and Jin rolls his eyes in return, Matsuda placing their well-packaged food before Jin.

“Here you go, brat. Two Matsuda Bento and two Matsuda Ramen to go.” Matsuda’s tone is dryly, eyes lingering on Jin’s hand. “You two enjoy your  _ date _ , Wong-boy. I expect details.”

Misaki flushes a pretty pink, and Jin flips him off with his free hand, letting her go to grab their meals. Misaki bades a polite goodbye while Jin pays, and Matsuda snorts, “Girl, you’re already too good for him.”

Jin leaves him without another word, instead taking her along and down the alley.

Misaki pulls up her notes, and trots after him, muttering under her breath until she finds what she’s looking for; Jin watching as she skims her fingers over the wall until she finds something, fingers sinking through the hologram. She glowers at the hologram, fiddles with the lock until it swings open, allowing them both in. Jin hustles himself after her, and she closes it, fiddles with the mechanism. Jin waits patiently, watches her.

“What are you doing?” Jin asks, tired of watching her and holding their food. Misaki slides her nail in under the hatch, gets a soft ‘click’, and the whole lock falls out.

“Changing the lock. I got my hands on Hal Clark this morning. He wasn’t exactly subtle, spying on me while I was training earlier. I bribed him with Legatus details in return for a lock like this one.” Misaki fits it in, keys it in to her Legatus. “Your turn,” she says, takes the food from him so he can key himself in. “I was planning on doing this with some of the better Hermit hideouts, get some more for when we need to go on the run.”

She rubs the bridge of her nose, suddenly tired-looking, and Jin follows her down, concerned. They get lucky this time - there’s actual furniture, and Jin sets down their food.

“Oh? Sounds good to me - I could have used a hide-out like this as a kid.” Jin chuckles ruefully, opens the bento. “Ohhh, Matsuda you devil,” he sighs happily, taking his chopsticks and fishing out some sweet glazed fish. “Misaki, hurry up or I’ll eat yours too.”

Misaki pouts at him, but obediently picks up her chopsticks and digs into her own box, gives a noise of appreciation.

“This is great! How did you  _ not _ eat this every day?” Misaki asks him, licks her lips free of teriyaki sauce. Jin just chuckles, eats his food. He knows she doesn’t want an answer, has gone to open the ramen and is devouring it with prejudice.

“Mmph, okay, that’s enough for now,” she says, ten minutes later. She sets her food down. “You wanna explain to me what the Captain was going on about?”

Jin sighs, and gives her a brief recap of their conversation from the night before, her expression sobering as she watches him.

“So he’s expecting a  _ report _ ? What, exactly, are we going to report  _ about? _ ” Misaki complains to him, and Jin takes a bite of sushi, tilts his head thoughtfully.

“Well, I for one, think your father would be  _ very _ interested in Blue Evolve. Before you joined the force, we had some problems with the Hermits. They used to be more into stealing tech - possible purification units, police gate detectors, the usual. But with the leadership change, they got  _ violent _ . Strong enough that even the Captain didn’t want to tangle with them, and that was no small feat. One or two Hermits used to be small fry. Now, one or two of those same bastards can put a team officers six feet under. Blue Evolve is a dangerous, potentially  _ life-threatening _ drug. You think we can’t use that to explain what the hell happened to both of us?”

Misaki is quiet, and Jin knows she’ll think it over. He relaxes a little, and waits for her to collect her thoughts.


	16. 【Discussion】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the action or process of talking about something in order to reach a decision or to exchange ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is one of many instances where Jin does not live solitaire jokes down.

“So, you really think we should tell the Captain about Blue Evolve?” Misaki finally says, poking at the ramen’s egg. It bobs cheerfully in the ramen broth, the yellow yolk taunting her.

Jin heaves a quiet sigh, hand reaching out to hold her own. The touch settles her so easily, and she smiles at it, looks up. His next words are gentle.

“I don’t want to. Really, I  _ don’t _ . But we had to work something out or he would separate us, and that’s the last thing either of us need. Our team is already suspicious; hell, I have  _ Alicia _ poking her nose in and asking me about how we’re so close. Trust me when I tell you that we are  _ not _ flying under the radar with the people we love most. We need a viable,  _ workable _ plan. And if using Blue Evolve as a cover will help, then yes. I say we use it. I sent some feelers out, remember? Someone pinged me, said that there was some talk about a bottle of liquid fitting that description. It’s more widespread here in Sector V, but there are reports as far away as Sector X, which is  _ not _ good.

“Neuron’s an elite agency. If one of our own gets wind of a drug ring, then yeah, we can keep our mouths shut until it goes to blow the shit wide open. But you can’t hide it from the Captain forever.” Jin squeezes her hand, before nodding at her food. “Now eat your food and think about the plus of Blue Evolve being known months ahead of that Astral Storm you were so ridiculous as to get caught up in.”

Misaki pulls a face at him, knows he’s only being so firm because she asked him to.

_ These things shouldn’t be changing _ , her mind wants to shriek, to claw back a blanket of normalcy and plastic regimen over her. She wants to be exploring the cases again, learning so she could do it all  _ perfectly _ . But that opportunity was gone, and Jin was here with her trying to save the home they loved. She looks down at her egg, snatches it up with her chopsticks and eats it, feels better.

There’s plenty of bonuses for their end goal, she has to admit. Misaki chews on her egg, thinks further about his quiet, but earnest, point. She pushes the noodles around a bit.

“You’re right.” Her voice is quiet, and Jin looks up, tangles his hand with her own in an attempt to comfort her. “I’m sorry - it’s easy to be scared of it, I guess. Of changing what’s tried and true.” Jin squeezes her hand, and she relaxes further. “Do you at least have a plan?”

Jin grins at her, and she can’t help but chuckle.

“Why did I even bother to ask?” she laments, giggles softly at him. “Alright, tell me then.”

He pops his egg in his mouth, chews it languidly and making her wait. Misaki glares, but is so very glad that he’s willing to tease her, even now. She waits until he’s done, and he answers, pulling out the tea tucked away in the bento.

“My civilian contacts were able to give me a timeline as to when Blue Evolve started coming into use, and it was easy enough to follow our reports with Hermit activity to cross-check the facts. It hit the streets again roughly a year ago, a few weeks before Neuron proper got started, and you had just entered the academy.” He must have been  _ pissed _ , Misaki thinks, watches Jin calmly take a sip of his tea. “As a result, there were a handful of officers in training that were… too strong. Too  _ fast _ . Those candidates were disqualified nearly instantly, but a handful in your class would have been around long enough for you to notice.”

Misaki bites her lip, thinks about it. She did remember a handful of boys and girls who  _ had _ been beyond her. They’d all eventually dropped out, or gotten really sick, and she’d tried to follow up on them - two had even been her friends. But they’d disappeared off the face of the planet, and Misaki hadn’t been able to go further.

Jin is speaking again, and she quickly focuses on him. “They were able to get me a few of those deals and when they went down. One of which was remarkably close to where you were training - at least, if your training logs for your last month are accurate.”

Jin offers her the data chip, and she plugs it in, watches with morbid curiosity. She can see herself in the video - just out of sight of the main camera and only visible through a reflection. She was working a punching bag the way Jin had taught her - all the right ways with angles that hit low to go up under ribs and strike sensitive flesh.  _ Oh _ . She’d been wearing her headphones that night - had borrowed one of her brother’s players with his permission to listen to some old-school music while she burned out her frustration of another disappointing day.

“Nobody but you knows you were listening to music - for all your father would know, you could have heard the entire deal go down. That plays to our favor here.” Jin offers her another data chip, and this one she gapes at. It’s her, heading into his office. “I fiddled a bit with some camera work - it’s pretty much seamless unless your name is Hal Clark, and I doubt that he’ll be directly poking into this file. I back-dated it for a day and a half after I sparred with your old man.” The video shows her leaving, and Jin leaving in a hurry shortly after her. “I actually had an emergency at my apartment then - so that works well with this video. While none of the videos later show me with a more intense training or sparring regimen, I started carrying my Legatus out of the Police HQ quite often after this. This should assist in our… deception, of the Captain.” 

Misaki nods along, so far able to follow his train of thought. Jin’s expression fills with distaste at the necessity, and she smiles apologetically, reaches her free hand for him. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want this.”

Jin’s expression sours further, and Misaki wilts a little. He catches her eye; gives her a brief smile.

“It’s necessary,” he says, and she squeezes his hand tightly. “I promised you that you wouldn’t do this alone, and if I have to break a few rules in the process, then I will. You  _ have _ my loyalty, Misaki. And if it means I have to lie a little, then that’s fine. This isn’t a secret to be shared yet.”

Misaki can feel her eyes water at his honest, but heartfelt words, and she abandons her seat to nearly tackle Jin in his, the older man giving a surprised laugh as he hugs her, runs his hand through her hair.

“Don’t smother me in all that love, sweetheart,” Jin chuckles fondly, squeezes her tightly to him. “You know I want to keep you safe,” he murmurs, Misaki comfortably settled in his lap for the moment. He presses his forehead against her own, shares a few breaths with her, before gently nudging her off. She pouts at him before trotting over to her seat, giving a soft sigh.

“Now what then? We have our explanation, sure, but the Captain wants a report  _ soon, _ ” Misaki stresses with a frown. “He’ll be impatient enough as is, I don’t think we can hide this for very long. Eventually he’s going to want his answers.”

Jin hums softly, taps his chopsticks against the end of the bowl as he thinks.

“We’ll follow up on those leads I’ve gotten. You and I can poke around a bit - I’ve still got a good reputation going for me, and you’re an unknown. Nobody will think twice about the two of us looking around town.  _ After _ we eat though. I’m still hungry, and I bet you are as well.”

She smiles ruefully at his observation, goes back to nibbling on her food. Jin gives her an exasperated look, reaches out and pinches her lower lip gently the way he used to. Misaki squeaks, slightly offended, but glad that Jin was able to go with his usual brand of chastisement. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until he wasn’t able to tease her the way he used to. Misaki squeaks at him, pretends to be offended, but she knows he’s onto her when he chuckles softly. It’s nice, to only be around someone who knows what she’s like - what she’s  _ actually _ like, time-travel and all.

For a moment, she mourns the closeness of her twin, wishes she had been able to bring him back. But she can’t - and she has to live with Jin, who’s great, but not her brother. She glances at Jin, but he seems to be making notes, utterly uninterested in her lack of verbalization. Misaki knows it’s probably an act, but it’s a kind one, that allows her to gather her bearings. Jin has a basic plan, but she can’t leave him to do all the work, mind running at top speed as she considers algorithms and basic deductions, how to acquire samples and keeping their covers simple.

“Jin?” Misaki asks tentatively, when he’s put his drink down. He looks up at her, smiles warmly and kindly.

“Yes Misaki?” Jin answers her with a light tone, but he already knows she’s stressed out about something. She can see it in how he observes her closely, doesn’t resume what he’s doing the way he would if she was okay.

“How much time did we have between now and Maison?” His eyes narrow, and he tilts his head in question. “I know!” she says hastily, waves her hands around awkwardly. “Maison might not happen now that our Legions didn’t… well, escape - but it still  _ can _ give us a timeline for when we need to work on and how long we have. Plus… I have someone who I want to get in contact with from  _ before _ this whole mess.”

Jin gives her a faint frown, digs through her notebooks. She continues, sketching her thoughts out loud: “Your contacts are… good. I mean  _ really _ good. It’s only been what, four days and they’ve already gotten you this much information?” Jin tenses slightly, and she swallows, knows she’s hit a sore spot. “I mean, it’s great, right? More info means less chances of getting hurt!”

She’s babbling now, Jin softening and reaching his hands out to hold her own, keep her from flailing wildly.

“It’s okay,” he says to her, squeezes her hands gently within his grasp. He dips his head, presses a gentle kiss to her captured hands. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

Her face flushes deeply, and she squeaks in embarrassment. Jin couldn’t just  _ do _ that! He grins wryly at her, and she huffs, cheeks pink from his teasing.

“You’re being mean,” she huffs, before getting back to her original question. “So… how much time again?”

Jin digs back through the books she’d given him, touches a finger to his lips as he thinks.

“I think it was about two weeks. Judging by the dates on your original notes, I would say that is a reliable estimate - since I don’t have any of my notes, I can’t say.” Misaki spares a moment to wince apologetically, and Jin rolls his eyes at her fondly. “Don’t worry sweetheart. It’s not like either of us planned for us to both hurtle through space-time.”

He flashes her a smile, and she relaxes, props her head on her knees. Jin muses, “But that gives us plenty of time. Granted, Max is going to be breathing down our necks, and I doubt Alicia or Akira will be giving us much downtime either.” Misaki winces internally - that sounds about right, yeah. “That aside though - we can still do this together. Hide out here whenever you want, yeah? Just you and I.”

That warms her. She’d made this place as a potential getaway in case she became a wanted criminal. The idea of turning it into a second home hadn’t even occurred. She stops, looks down at her Legatus.

“What about the tracking?” she asks him, and Jin raises an eyebrow in question. “That was how Yoseph found me in the first place, when I went to Zone 09 - he had a tracking device installed on my Legatus.”

Jin taps a fingertip against his lips again, before wordlessly holding his hand out. She accepts his touch, watches as he inspects the device.

“I can fiddle with that tomorrow. I don’t have the technology on hand to fix it now,” he chuckles slightly at her. “I never tried to install the tech division’s hacker kit into the device, and using your Legion to hack a Legatus is liable to end badly, I’d guess.”

Misaki could only  _ imagine _ what would happen, winces.

“Yeah, let’s not.” A thought occurs to her, and she smirks slyly at Jin, who gives her a wary look. “So, instead of a hacker’s toolkit you went and installed  _ solitaire? _ ”

Jin barks out a laugh, shoves her gently with a press of his fist against her shoulders.

“Oi, watch it you sassy brat,” he chides her, chuckling. “You would not  _ believe _ the number of boring-ass briefings I’ve managed to dodge with that.”

Misaki can’t help but allow an incredulous giggle past her lips, eyes going wide at his words. “You think  _ I’m _ terrible?” she manages past her giggles, can feel the warmth of Jin’s smile.

It’s not a bad way to spend her day. Eventually, they will have to leave their newly made sanctuary, but for now, she can eat her meal, quietly relax, and prepare herself for the investigation ahead.


	17. 【Sleuth】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> carry out a search or investigation in the manner of a detective.

Jin had given her a key to his apartment. Misaki had been surprised that Jin didn’t actually live at Police HQ, but apparently being a former tech division member had perks.

Like higher pay.

Misaki thought that it was bullshit, but hey, convenient and _ private _ places to meet that _ weren’t _ just Hermit hideouts. She makes sure to knock regardless, hearing his muffled ‘come in’ before entering.

Misaki blinks. “You have plants,” she says, a little dumbfounded. Of all the hobbies she thought he may have had, this was definitely not one of them. Jin grins at her slyly, his expression filled with wry amusement. “How did I not know you had more plants than the cactus I gave you as a kid,” she says incredulously, and Jin laughs at her for that one.

“I like plants. The cactus you got me has friends now,” he teases, gestures to where her cactus is sitting, pretty pink ribbon adjusted around the base of it. “I named her Martha.” 

Misaki stares, and then bursts into a fit of giggles at the teasing tone and the nickname. She hasn’t laughed this much in a while, but Jin always knew how to cheer her up. Jin patiently allows her to laugh herself silly, before absently going back to his task, spritzing a bit of cool water over their leaves and checking the underside for spots.

“I can’t believe you kept up with this,” she manages, before happily joining him, watches as he waters his plants. “I was _ joking _ back then, you know,” she says with a smile, watching as he shakes his fingers dry of water. Jin smiles wryly at her amusement, offers a quick ruffle of dried hands to her head. She squeaks at him in offense, but it’s all playful, and Jin knows it.

“It was a hobby that doesn’t involve people.” Jin admits with a grin, and that’s so very _ Jin. _ “Non-work hobbies _ aside _,” Jin says ruefully at her, “how have those leads been doing?” 

Misaki scrunches her nose at him, deep pout building. “I don’t know where your contacts get their info, but _ hell _ . This stuff is _ detailed _.”

Jin’s lips twitch up into a smile at her groan, but Misaki isn’t a fool - she can tell he’s not too thrilled by her poking her nose into his affairs, so she changes tactics, continues talking.

“I went through the reports,” she says, watches his shoulders untense. What was he _ hiding _, she wonders. “Best guess I can manage so far is that part of the refinery is within Zone 47 itself, if only to distill the product. Blue Evolve has some subproducts that are in the process of being made. There’s the liquid product that the Hermits have been drinking. Additionally, there’s crystalized versions of Blue Evolve. There’s larger crystals that can be eaten like.. Urgh. Candy.” Misaki pulls a face, and Jin gives her a quick hair ruffle, leading her to his couch and letting her sit down. “There’s also a powdered variation that has been slowly introduced in the market over the last six months.”

She leans back into his couch, watches as he goes over to the kitchen, the familiar sounds of Jin making tea soothing her as she continues, “There’s a dozen different byproducts and many of them are still in production.” Misaki winces. “I never even _ looked _ into it after Jena died - how could I be so _ stupid? _”

Jin returns then, pressing a cup of tea into her hands.

“To be fair, you were on the run,” he points out. Jin goes back to his pot of tea and pours himself a fresh cup, and joins her on the couch. “Between staying alive and hiding out in the depths of Zone 09, I’m not surprised.” He takes a sip of his tea. “Plus, from what I recall, Yoseph used his RAVEN forces in bulk around that time to sweep the Blue Evolve and all related drugs under the rug. He had _ quite _ the taskforce running to get rid of that. It couldn’t do for them to find out, after all.”

Jin leans back, radiating content pleasure. Misaki takes a sip, and finds herself relaxing quickly.

“Oh that’s _ delicious _ ,” Misaki sighs, pleasure purring along her veins at the flavor. Jin grins at her over his own cup, takes another satisfied sip of his own. “I _ have _to have this blend,” she tells him, and Jin gives an amused quirk of his lips.

“Glad you enjoy - there’s a very nice tea store in Zone 39 that has some of the _ best _ tea in the area. Behave yourself and I’ll show you where it is.” Jin looks different, lounging comfortably against his seat. His glasses are halfway down his nose, and he seems utterly at peace. “Now, you were saying be_fore _ the pity party?”

She pulls a face at him, mock-scowling at his attempt at humor. “I was just saying -” she starts again, before Jin gives her a glare. “Okay! Fine! You win, alright?” Jin looks only marginally satisfied, so she keeps talking. “_ Anyway _ , there’s a _ lot _ of this product out on the lower class streets, and they were able to track the network out to a lot of different Zones. Each Zone handles a minor process, and then Zone 47 handles the final distill and distribution process, as far as I can tell.” Jin leans back, raises an eyebrow. “You have _ any _ idea where?”

Jin seems thoughtful, sipping his tea as he considers her words. “There’s two good places a distillery can be. One is the old seawater refinery located at the docks. It used to filter out salt and other minerals from ocean water. The lower floor was below the water level - it had a special filtration system to remove any red matter that washed up. It was decommissioned six years ago when the new one opened. The reason given was that the new facility was more secure, and less likely to have the lower level collapse due to the pressure of the ocean. The old center was a popular haunt for the local youth after it was closed down, and a redshift outbreak made it impossible to enter once everyone in there became an Aberration. I cleaned it out when I first became a Legionis. Figures it would end up into something like this.”

His disgust is palpable, and Misaki gives him a concerned smile, her hand resting on his thigh. He flashes her a smile in thanks.

“What about the other one?” Misaki prompts when he settles into sipping his tea in annoyed silence. Jin wrinkles his nose, but answers.

“It was _ my _ old haunt. It’s entirely below water, and requires a bit of a swim. It wasn’t the easiest place to get to, so I went and… hmm.” Here, Jin’s cheeks turn a faint pink, and Misaki gives him a fascinated stare. “Promise me you won’t try it?” He says, hopeful, and Misaki grins, delighted at the potential for juicy comments.

“Tell me first and I’ll consider it,” she says with a smirk, and Jin groans, presses a hand against his face.

“I _ may _ have stolen some demolition equipment to blow a hole into the ground,” he says in embarrassment, and Misaki cackles, puts her tea down so she doesn’t spill it. “ _ Please _ stop laughing,” he says faintly, and she doesn’t, leaning over her knees and hiccuping from the laughter.

Jin is probably scowling, sets his cup of tea on the table, and his hand lightly grazes the back of her head in a soft slap. It’s not hard, not even _ firm _. She could have counted it as a tap, if it wasn’t followed by his reproachful voice.

“You really should stop laughing,” Jin’s complaint isn’t in the slightest bit amused, though he softly ruffles her hair afterwards, affectionate in the way only he could be with her.

Their closeness was new, certainly. She had always known she could go to Jin instead of Alicia, and when Akira had been grieving, she certainly couldn’t go to him. Misaki sighs, leans against him.

“Okay, I’m done laughing at you,” she promises to him, and he scowls at her. “_ Promise _. Now c’mon, tell me more.”

Jin squints at her suspiciously, before sighing and continuing on at her request.

“It was an underwater facility and inaccessible from the ground level,” Jin explains patiently, sipping his tea between words. “I made it easily accessible for my crew, and it was hard to find it since I’d moved some dumpsters to hide the entrance. Those two are the most likely, but to tell you the truth, if they are distributing Blue Evolve, then we’re going to need to involve someone on this operation.”

Misaki raises an eyebrow, curiously observing how Jin gives a rueful grin. “I take it you have someone in mind?” she says wryly, gets a half-laugh from him.

“I recruited him to Neuron, specifically.” Jin’s grin becomes _ wicked _, and Misaki swallows. He sounded like mischief with a capital M.

* * *

Misaki is gaping at Alan, who is intently reading their notes, a frown on sharp features.

“You recruited Neuron’s best non-Legionis?” she hisses into his ear, and Jin grins at her, pleasure on his handsome features. She flushes at his clear confidence, glares at him.

“I heard that,” Alan’s tone is distracted, and she blushes again at the slight smugness. “I’ll take your words as the compliment they are,” he adds, before looking up. “You two do thorough work. This is pretty solid info. I’m guessing you’re waiting for something before taking this to the Captain?” Alan says with impressed awe, setting the paperwork down and taking his reading glasses off.

“That’s right,” Jin says easily, leaning against Alan’s desk, the other Specialist clearing a little room for him. “I’m waiting on my CI to produce at least one bottle of Blue Evolve - the Captain doesn’t work on hearsay, even if it’s from me and Misaki.”

Alan gives a thoughtful hum, rubs his chin as he looks at the reports. “It’s a good idea - solid proof will also give you an idea of the distribution center, and it’ll prove the severity of the threat.” Alan looks up at them, eyes their casual gear. “I’m guessing you scoped out the place together? Anything worth reporting?” His tone is politely amused, and Misaki flushes slightly at the teasing nature of it.

“My CI’s say it’s someone I used to run with as a kid,” Jin shrugs slightly. “If so, I can probably introduce you, though you’d have to admit to being a cop first thing - they knew I joined the force. Officially, I’m classed as part of the tech division, but no way to tell if that’ll hold if whoever runs the gang is half as smart as I am.”

Alan frowns thoughtfully, glances over the paperwork.

“Okay.” Alan says at last. “I think that’s the extent of what we can talk about here.” Standing up, he hands them the files. “I’m going to get dressed in some civvies, and you guys can take me somewhere secure to talk about this. We can take my car - I’ll see you in ten.”

He briskly walks out, and Misaki looks at Jin dubiously.

“He’s different when he’s focused on his work,” Misaki says curiously, when she’s assured he’s gone. Jin gives her an amused nudge, and the two leave the office, heading downstairs together. They take the regular stairs instead of the elevator, and Misaki hums under her breath, waits for Jin to say something.

“Alan’s _ good _ at what he does. He’s been in the force a grand total of five years, but he took some pretty serious undercover gigs, including one that went absolutely tits-up,” Jin explains easily. “He managed to come out of them more or less unscathed and got the appropriate raise for it.”

Jin leads Misaki to a bench, and she sits with him, leans against him and shades her eyes, wishing wistfully she’d thought to bring sunglasses.

It’s less than five minutes later that Alan arrives, gives them both a curious and amused look. He looks nice, she thinks, hair out of the carefully slicked-back style he preferred at work, a pair of dark jeans and a slick button-up paired with a vest. He looks younger dressed as he is, and the glasses hanging out of his vest pocket just add to the boyish charm.

“Ready to go?” he asks, holding his keys up. “Everyone’s back in for the shift change, so we shouldn’t be seen heading out.”

The two join him, taking off at a brisk walk. His car is a pretty thing, sleek red lines over black, and Misaki whistles. Alan snorts, Jin chuckling at her.

“Nice ride,” Misaki compliments, gets another snort from Alan.

“Thanks,” Alan says wryly. “Took a few paychecks to get her, but it was worth it. No offense to your motorbikes, but I like to be able to carry my own shit without renting someone else’s vehicle.” 

He opens the door for her. With a blink of surprise, she accepts the gentlemanly behavior, slides into the front seat. Jin takes the seat behind her, and she opens up her notes, looks for a place to stop at. She scrolls through her list, humming to herself while Alan gets in and starts the car, checking his mirrors and waiting patiently for her.

“Where do you normally patrol - when you’re on the field? Neuron officers can’t _ all _ simply just patrol Harmony Square, right?” Misaki asks him.

Alan chuckles, “No, you’re right. My patrol route is Zone 14 and Zone 19, but I prefer my old stomping grounds on my day off. That would be Zone 27.”

Misaki scrolls through it, gives a considering noise.

“I’ve got a place for Zone 27 - it’s under a pedestrian overpass, in an alley between Song Noodles and Isis Recreation.” She wrinkles her nose at the name, and Alan taps his fingers against the wheel.

“I know where that is - it’s right across a store I used to work at before I was old enough for the academy,” he says wryly, before putting his car into gear and driving off. To her surprise, he’s a careful driver, follows each law carefully. As they get closer, Alan starts pointing out landmarks, gives them both a lay of the land that Misaki notes down carefully. Once they’re in the town proper, Alan parks a decent way from the location at Jin’s quiet urging.

The three disembark, and Jin reaches for Misaki’s Legatus.

“I forgot to do this earlier, so forgive me.” He smiles apologetically, and Misaki knows what he plans to do, lets him without hesitation. “This should disable the tracking on your Legatus and IRIS - give me a moment Alan, and I’ll do the same for you.”

Alan looks a little disturbed, but gives an agreeing noise, watching as Jin pulls up his software and fiddles with hers, deactivating the device and installing a host of other security programs.

“I’m adding in a few programs for you,” he tells her with a faint smile. “And before you ask, no, I don’t have solitaire to give you, don’t even.” Misaki cracks a grin, and Alan muffles a laugh, the back of his hand covering his mouth. “There’s an added redshift scanner and a few additional medical scans. You should also have a minor hacking program of your own - it’s not as effective as your Legion, but it’ll do the job.” He ruffles her hair and turns to Alan, who easily steps forward.

Once they’re both done, Jin closes his Legatus and tucks it away, smiles down at both of them. “Alright, lead the way Alan,” Jin says, hands slipping into his pockets.

Alan takes off at a brisk walk, the two quickly follow behind as he weaves through the foot traffic like a pro. It’s a good ten minutes even with the brisk pace set, the trio spending the time through the crowds in near silence. Once they’re there, Misaki digs around in her bag and procures another lock as she walks down the alleyway. Alan and Jin follow behind, and when she glances back, she can see how mystified he is. She simply smiles at him, and when she reaches it, she turns on her IRIS.

“Turn on your IRIS, both of you,” she says, and they obey her. She counts on her timer, and after a minute, the wall flashes the tell-tale green color. “I don’t know where all of these hideouts are, but I know how to find them. If you ever have to look for Hermits and can’t find them, this should help at least a little.”

Jin hums quietly, and Alan gives a low whistle.

“Fuck if that isn’t _ useful _,” Alan says, visibly impressed with her. “Hell, that’ll make my life so much easier - you have no idea how much shit I deal with when the Hermits get up to their idiocy.” He shakes his head, smiles at Misaki. “Seriously, that alone is worth the price of admission.”

She smiles back, happy to know that she’d managed to impress the difficult to please Alan King. Passing through the barrier, Misaki checks quickly to make sure it’s empty with her IRIS, before swiftly swapping the lock out and using her IRIS to register. Jin shows Alan how to do the same, and he does so, before Misaki opens the door and ushers them inside. There’s no viable furniture, and Alan looks around curiously, poking around the area first before shrugging and taking a seat on the ground.

“I’ll bring some furniture later, I suppose,” Alan says, and Misaki digs around in her bag again, returns the files to him. He flicks open his glasses, and scans the paperwork again, lips twisted into a serious frown. They don’t speak while Alan reviews the paperwork, and he looks up at her, green eyes serious.

“Okay. I’m in. But if this is going to go as an actual op, I’m taking point. You two are good, I’ll give you that, but neither of you ever worked undercover ops or ran a drug bust, especially not one this large. If you guys are serious about this _ possibly _ being tied to the ARI, we have to keep it both off the books _ and _ under wraps even from other officers. I get that you two want the Captain in on it - and I don’t think that’s a bad deal, but one of the two of you is going to have to _ stress _ that there is no way he’s allowed to tell anyone until we’ve cleared them of any involvement.”

Jin winces. “He’s going to want Alicia and Akira, at least. If only half the Legionis Division is in on this, shit _ will _ get messy.”

Alan’s eyes narrow, but he sighs, rubs the back of his head as he concedes the point.

“Right… You both think they’re clean?” Alan asks. “I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I’ve been through enough bad undercover ops to want to never have that happen again.”

Misaki smiles ruefully, understands what he means though she can’t share that experience with him.

“My brother’s clean. He’d sooner bite his own veins out than take a drug like that,” she confirms.

Jin gives a bittersweet chuckle. “Unfortunately, I spend very little of my time with Alicia. But given how much she hangs out with your father, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s also clean. Max has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs that aren’t medically necessary - he’s knocked more than one druggie on their asses.”

Alan leans back, before nodding at them both and standing up.

“Okay then - I’ll trust the Captain to make those calls. If he backs up your claims, then I’ll be happy to have them aboard… as long as they can obey orders.” He taps his fingers against the file, before twisting the paper files this way and that. “I’ll work on drafting a plan - off the books of course - that we can use for a long-term undercover operation into this. We’ll need to wait on getting the drug in hand before we can go further, so you guys just focus on that. I’ll see about making a profile for each of us - I’m assuming we’ll stick to us all looking for a cut? No offense meant, but I’d prefer to keep a drug like this out of my system.”

Misaki gives him a reassuring smile, speaks for both of them. “We’re not looking for that either - we don’t even know if Blue Evolve is compatible with our Legions and Legatus, and better safe than sorry, right?” Misaki says, gets an agreement from Jin. Alan gives a slow nod, and shuffles the papers in his hands with a scowl.

“Okay, that makes this easier. I’ll work on this and get back to you with your covers - we can do a tune up on the details afterwards, once you guys have your profiles down. I’ll stay here for a little while - get used to this place. I’ll see you guys in an hour, and I’ll drop you off at HQ.”

Misaki knows he’s dismissing them, and salutes him, Jin simply giving a nod as the two leave, Jin’s hand settling against her back.

Jin gives a final wave as they depart, laughingly adding, “We got it - I’ll get you something to eat too - might help!” 

The joke gets a roll of his eyes from the other man. As they walk out, Misaki can’t help but look back, meeting Alan’s eyes again. He gives her a faint, respectful nod, and she nods back, hurrying up the steps with Jin.


	18. ⦏Alan⦐

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Celtic name meaning Noble, Fair, or Handsome, among other meanings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a big fan of Alan's character in the game. Sure, his crush on Marie can be seen as stalkerish and some probably think it's creepy, but I find it telling that instead of having a crush on someone with high rank and more confidence, he likes Marie, who is a lower-ranking officer that is both goofy and kind.

Wow.

Alan leans against the chair he’d brought from home for his new hideaway, arms crossed, considering. For a while, he’d thought that Howard and Wong were dating, not anything like a top secret drug bust op. Which, to be fair, is probably exactly what they wanted.

Alan makes a few notes on the dossier he’d been writing up for Howard, scans it again with a gimlet eye.

_ Misaki Howard is the oldest of twins and the daughter of an extremely protective Captain. Tired of constantly coddling her brother and being sheltered by her father, she seeks to inject some excitement into her life through former gang-member-turned-officer Jin Wong. Her low empathy makes it easy for her to turn to violence to solve her issues. However, she prefers for Jin to take care of issues, due to her desire to feel protected. _

That was just a basic overview, and Alan leans back, considers it.

Misaki Howard was nothing like he expected. He expected her to be much like the dossier - a shallow badge-bunny looking for excitement. What he found was a friendly, engaging young woman who enjoyed helping around HQ between cases. Certainly, there had been a level of arrogance that could be expected from a Legionis, but she displayed and wielded it so uniquely. From the first day she had met him, she’d been kind to him. She had brushed off his rudeness as though it was to be expected, and had even politely apologized for taking his spot as a Legionis member. That had cooled his heels incredibly quickly, and he’d been at a loss for words at her sweet, nearly demure nature.

Certainly, she’d had a wickedly playful streak she would later unveil to him and the others in Neuron. Alan had expected that playfulness to stay within her team, not expand out to the whole office the way she had.

He huffs, sets aside the paper as he contemplates the enigma of Howard. For one, he still didn’t understand why she sought him out when they were both in HQ. Howard always seemed friendly, certainly, but the Captain’s tales of her had always pointed towards her being the more reclusive of the pair. Alan would have quietly considered that just a father’s tall tales, if he hadn’t seen how Max would eye her with his own brand of confused curiosity. Howard was an interesting, delightfully friendly enigma.

Not to mention, unusually interested in getting Alan together with Marie. Not that he wasn’t appreciative of her efforts, but he wasn’t sure why she was so determined to see them date. Did she think it would be good for Marie? And hey, who was Alan to complain? He liked Marie, Howard was convinced Marie liked him, and it all worked out. Plus, the time plotting romance allowed Alan to get to know and understand Howard a little better. It was nice, he supposed, especially since she gave so little cares for propriety and treated him like a friend rather than a superior.

He returns to his work; observes the dossier for Specialist Wong next. Wong had provided him a brief overview of his past history. Alan had been morbidly interested in the basic factual details, especially given the sheer history he’d had between the ages of twelve to eighteen. Alan used that, and Jin’s history in the force, to craft him a bit more of a detailed bio rather than the basic one he had for Howard.

_ Jin Wong is not looking for excitement. He’s looking to settle old scores and is annoyed that turf that was once his is now in use by less than savory members without his blessing. A star agent, Jin Wong is returning to old roots, seeking to expand his power base further. Trained by one of the best, Wong uses those connections to enter a black-ops unit and create connections to as many influential sectors of Police HQ as possible while maintaining his technological edge. _

_ Approached by the Captain’s daughter, he takes her under his care. The girl delivers exactly what Jin wants: More than just a pretty face to spoil. Do not mistake their partnership as a casual one, as Wong is extremely protective and possessive of her. Consistently the picture of a gentleman, Wong will turn to violence often as a means of subjugation, before switching tactics to politely and sweetly apologize, grooming his underlings into adoring and fearing his attention in equal measure. He does not suffer fools - or betrayal - lightly, and will return any injustice done to him tenfold, often without warning. _

Really, Alan thinks with a soft huff, none of this was incorrect about Wong already. Sure, he’d tweaked some of his biography, but there were startling parallels. 

That Howard and Wong weren’t dating had been a surprise to Alan. He wasn’t blind after all - all those casual touches? There was definitely more going on behind the scenes than anyone was saying. He’d caught them together often, their hands straying to shoulders, spines, hips, and faces, an indecipherable communication that came with exceptional partners - or devoted lovers. They  _ were _ perfect partners - he’d been allowed to review some of their spars together, and he’d never seen a pair more in sync with each other and their Legions. And they were trying to convince people they were just friends? No wonder the Captain was so grumpy about the time they shared together.

But Alan had watched them, when they’d come back with a lunch for him. They’d not left him alone to eat, instead sharing the time with him, answering questions without reservation or hesitation. They existed in close spaces to each other, the tilt of a head, the briefest of smiles, all of it telling him they were definitely attracted to one another.

But they never actually acted on it. They might look at one another as lovers, but they acted like extremely close friends, always on the edge of doing something more. It was baffling that they didn’t take that final step, but at the same time… he understood. They couldn’t take that step, not when Max Howard was their commanding officer.

They had definitely danced around each other enough that the Captain noticed, and by his glares, disapproved quite thoroughly of them getting any closer. Howard and Wong was an inevitable thing, in Alan’s humble opinion, but he wouldn’t voice that one near the Captain.

Alan glances up from his work when he hears Howard muffle a laugh in Wong’s shoulder. She looks utterly at ease with him, pressed against his side in a way that anyone else would have been uncomfortable with but with her simply looked natural. Wong’s arm is wrapped around her waist, keeping her steady as he murmurs into her ear, a grin on his face as he continues to talk to her. Howard muffles another laugh against his shoulder, face flush with a deep blush.

She was so obviously smitten, Alan thinks with a faint smile for their antics, and goes back to work. They’re not particularly subtle - at least, not around him. Since he’d bluntly told them the basics of their covers, they’d agreed to let him observe them in some downtime they’d had. It had helped him refine their profiles, and while he’d agreed not to go too far out of their established personalities, he’d found it disturbingly easy to slant them both into a more violent mindset. Though neither had minded and even offered a few polite suggestions on meshing both personas together.

He watches them a moment longer, before going back to his work. They make for interesting background noise, their laughter and comfortable conversation soothing to the ear. They’d long since slipped into Chinese and Japanese respectively, and he wishes he knew enough of their respective languages to follow them.

Alan leans back once he’s done at last, glances over at Howard and Wong as their conversation slows.

“You two got a minute?” he asks, and they smile easily at him. “I’ve finished our profiles, now it’s just to make sure that everything will work out.”

The two of them join him, bringing their chairs over and taking a seat before him, raptly attentive. Howard is the first to read hers through, Wong waiting patiently as she does so. She gives a thoughtful hum before smiling at it.

“Looks good so far - though it might help you to know I actually have a few disciplinary citations in school for violence,” Howard says helpfully, hands it back to him.

Alan takes his paperwork and makes a note of that in the margins. “Anything else?” Alan asks, and Howard gives him a smile, adds a few other misdemeanors and even a handful of Police Academy citations she’d gotten - most of them for seemingly minor incidents. He eyes her dubiously, and she laughs.

“It’s easier to tell a truthful lie this way,” she reminds him with a smile. “I got those citations mostly because I was the Captain’s daughter. I originally planned on going into criminal affairs after completing the mandatory first year in general affairs, so I asked for them to put in as many citations as I could get away with in my record. The higher ups weren’t happy about dumping them in, but Akira had his spotless record, and Dad - pretty reluctantly, mind you - greenlighted it. It’s coming in handy now, so no harm, no foul, right?”

Alan can’t help but concede her point, and waits for Wong to cast his own judgement. He reads it over, before giving a hum.

“I’ve known Misaki a lot longer than the timeline,” he says helpfully, and Alan blinks. “It’s not part of the official record, but Max used to have me step in for him when he was injured or indisposed.”

Alan sighs, and makes a note of that too. Wong offers a few pointers then, lightly interspacing the visits with Misaki’s growing record of violence. She chips in occasionally, an amused smile on her lips. It’s easy - too easy - to make Howard into a monster, to write her and Wong’s history as something twisted. Alan doesn’t need to change any of his history to fill in - his previous undercover profiles work fine, and it’s not like he has some sordid history with them. The lack gives them space to be their own dynamic.

But Alan watches them, how both of them are with each other, obvious ease and pleasure on their faces as they tease and interact together, friends and something not-quite-there yet. He fills out the profiles, takes their advice, and wonders: How close are they to what he’s made up for them?


	19. 【Report】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An account given of a particular matter, especially in the form of an official document, after thorough investigation or consideration by an appointed person or body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I swear I planned on updating this early... And now it's Tuesday.

“What’s with the hush-hush?” Max wonders curiously, though he subjected himself to Jin’s scan and Legatus poking with a long-suffering smile and a faint hint of exasperation on his face. Misaki gives him an awkward smile of her own back, glad that Akira had taken his request for her to distract Alicia for a few hours that morning without a single question. Jin is silent, and Alan is already ahead, hiding out in a less conspicuous Hermit hideout that he’d found near HQ.

(If Hal was even remotely involved in making this one Misaki was going to punt his drone into low orbit.)

“We promised to let you know what was going on,” Jin says quietly. Max stiffens, surprise writing itself all over his features. “We’ve got everything we need, so it’s safe to bring you into what we found.” Jin smiles ruefully, and nods at Misaki. “This was your discovery - if you’d do the honors?”

Her father turns his eyes on her, suspicious and a little concerned, even as she takes his hand and pulls him through the wall.

His grip tightens on her own from the surprise, before going lax as they enter a hallway. Misaki holds his hand tightly to her own, and they walk together through the empty space until they reach a door, Misaki unlocking it and hustling him in. Jin joins them, and she can feel how confused her father is, especially when he takes in the sight of Alan King. The Specialist is wearing a crooked smile as he sits in his own seat, elbows on the table.

“Sorry to get you up at such an early hour Captain,” Alan says apologetically. “This was best done before you stepped foot in HQ.”

Max’s eyes are narrowed, and he gives his daughter a glare as she half-forces him into a seat.

“Please sit Daddy.” The unusual endearment stops Max cold, and he stares down at her. Misaki  _ never _ called him that at work, and he sits, watches her with worry.

“Sweetheart… what’s going on?” Max asks, Misaki taking a seat across from him.

Misaki takes a deep breath, fingers squeezing his hand tightly. “Promise me you won’t interrupt,” she says, shakily. Max’s lips thin, but slowly, he nods. “Thank you, Captain,” she says softly, squeezing his hand in both of hers. This was going to be the most  _ elaborate _ lie she’d ever told her her father, and she could already feel her nerves acting up. Misaki swallows, and begins to speak.

The fabricated lie Jin had made for her fell easily from her lips - how she’d been planning on listening to Akira’s borrowed MP3 that she’d wheedled out of him, but had overheard a conversation that had disturbed her. She’d gone to Jin because he had once been part of the tech division, and he’d promised to look into it for her.

Jin chips in quietly, talks about how he’d gone looking for a Narcotics Officer with good credentials and stumbled over Alan, whose skill in the field was considered second to none and a sync rate to match. He’d given his recommendation and transfer request that same day so he could better keep an eye on the Specialist and clear him as a potential officer for the case.

Misaki picks it back up, tells him that she’d had designs on Criminal Affairs with the goal of undercover work in mind - which was why she’d asked him to sign off on all of those false citations so if she needed them, nobody would bat an eye at them being established in her record. She talks about catching Jin up on what little she’d found, including the link of it being related to the Pandemic of Zone 09 and being a derivative of something known as _Paneca’s_ _Medicine_ \- a drug pioneered by Jena Anderson, the same terrorist who had shown up on their first case.

Jin joins in easily then, talks about how he’d sent his CIs out to research the distribution of the drug after their first case had gone so badly wrong, and what they’d found - including the fact that Jin’s old Zone was involved. Once they’d gotten a location, they had included Alan, who had advised them from there about the necessity of needing a Reporting Officer.

“We were going to tell you anyways,” Misaki says earnestly, and Max turns his stunned - and somewhat horrified - gaze onto his daughter. “But we had to be sure that everything was above board before including anyone else, especially since one of the known people involved works in the ARI.” 

Max releases a shaky sigh, his grip turning painfully tight upon his daughter’s fingers. He scoops his daughter up into his arms, buries his head in her shoulder while she gives a surprised and faintly alarmed squeak. “Dad?” Misaki tries hesitantly, pats her father’s broad shoulders when his shoulders shake. Alan has half-risen from his chair, but she shakes her head, clings to her father in reassurance.

Dad lets go eventually, and Misaki sinks into her seat once more, worried eyes on him as she reaches for his hand. Her Captain allows it, rubs at his good eye.

“How long?” Max asks hoarsely. “How long has this drug been on my streets?” Misaki recognizes it well, the look on his face. Her father is  _ angry _ \- bone-deep, soul-rattling  _ fury _ .

“At least a year,” Alan provides, when neither Jin nor Misaki provide an answer. “Alicia had an encounter with one of the Hermits, who as best as we can tell, were the first to receive this drug.” Max breathes out, looming large and furious with every breath. Her father was not a small man by nature, so when he was angry, it was  _ obvious _ to everyone how mad he was - he took up space with his ire. “Someone saw profit in it, and began to expand the operation out. We have some samples here - proof that this case needs attention. You have the highest clearance on the force - it’s even above Brenda’s. If you classify it, even the Commander wouldn’t have access to these files. And given that it was  _ his _ student’s drug that became a part of this, it’s better safe than sorry, right?”

Max fixes him with a glare, but slumps, hands settling on his knees as he gives a defeated noise of agreement.

“God fucking damn it,” Max runs a hand through his hair and leans back. “And I’m guessing you have an idea?”

Alan winces, before handing him the dossiers that he had made. Max accepts them, careful not to crinkle the papers. That resolve doesn’t last long - Max’s hands quickly crumple it, though he’s quick to mutter an apology, straighten the papers out and put them on a table.

“Let me get this straight,” Max says firmly, hands shaking a little. “You want to make an undercover op with Jin  _ and _ my daughter.”

Alan winces, and Misaki decides to spare him the explanation.

“I  _ have _ an in, Captain,” Misaki says carefully, as he turns his glare onto her as she speaks. “There’s video of me being within hearing range of the deal - that gives me credibility neither Jin nor Alan have. Their involvement hinges on  _ mine _ .” She lays a hand on his knee, makes Max look at her. “I don’t have to be directly involved in the undercover op right away. Jin and Alan just need my cover in case something goes wrong. And things  _ always _ go wrong on undercover ops, you know that, Captain.”

Max’s expression wavers from his normally stern visage, and he gives Alan a helpless look.

“Your daughter is right. If those two cadets hadn’t been careless, how long would this drug have continued to slide under the radar? Months?  _ Years? _ We are not dealing with stupid men. God, I  _ wish _ we were, because then we wouldn’t need to include a greenie in on this op - no offense to you Howard, but undercover work is stressful even to seasoned officers. I’d never put a rookie on it without a serious psych eval every three weeks. But we can’t afford to do that with someone this clever. They’d figure us out quickly,” Alan admits, expression displeased. Jin makes a noise, and all of them turn to look at him - he’s holding his phone, and his expression is sour.

“We’re  _ definitely _ going to need to be careful. I just got a name.” He gives the Captain a grimace. “It’s Yoichi Aoba.”

Alan gives a hiss, his expression matching Jin’s own.

“Bad?” Misaki asks carefully, and Alan’s expression shuts down.

Jin answers her with a wince, tone clipped, “Imagine if I  _ actually _ wanted to be a drug dealer. I didn’t like Aoba - he was a Japanese elitist  _ bastard _ who used violence to solve all of his problems. He had a problem with me for being a  _ Chankoro _ ,” Jin spits the word out, and Misaki flinches at the venom. He notices; softens in apology. “I was useful to him before I joined the force, and once I became a cop, I became far more  _ useful _ to him. He was happy to be my CI for a few years before he broke the deal off for his own reasons.” Jin’s lips twist into a disgusted scowl. “I guess we found out why.”

Alan rubs his forehead, frowning slightly. “You know him?” Alan asks, just to clarify, and Jin nods sharply. “Shit. And if you enter the field undercover, will he trust your word?”

Max is bristling - protective over Jin and her, fiercely annoyed by the information provided. Jin’s smile is as brittle as it is cold.

“Believe me,  _ my _ cover will be of no issue. Your profile for me isn’t exactly untrue, after all,” Jin says with a sharp, slanting smirk. “Introducing you might be a bit tricky - Aoba is a touchy son-of-a-bitch when it comes to  _ impure _ blood. Brush up on your family genealogy - you can bet he will want to know every family member in your background.”

Misaki notices Alan’s slight flinch, gives him a reassuring smile.

“Great,” Alan says faintly, expression a bit pale. “I hate my family tree.” Misaki gives him a sympathetic smile, and he accepts it with a tilt of his head. “If I have to do this, I’m only telling you three,” he says sharply, shoulders scrunching up in obvious discomfort.

The three of them trade glances, and Misaki reaches out, pats his hand reassuringly. “You have my word,” she says, and her father echoes it.

Jin eyes him, slow and scrutinizing, before he too, gives his quiet, polite agreement. Alan still looks horribly uncomfortable, and she waits, tilts her head. She’s rewarded a moment later, when he speaks up: “My given name… it’s Alan Ardrí, of X-Tech.”

Misaki doesn’t make the connection at first, but Jin does, giving a quiet hiss of recognition. Max seems clueless as well, and Alan relaxes, pleased at their reactions. “I’m the first son of the inventor of X-Batons and similar technology,” he offers, and Misaki clicks at that. She blinks, and then stares at him. Alan shifts, a little uncomfortable at her gaze.

“Is that why you work so hard? So nobody can accuse you of resting on someone else’s laurels?” Misaki asks him, and his shoulders loosen, a smile curling over his lips. She’d said the right thing, it seemed. Max is deeply pleased by her reaction, and Jin ruffles her hair affectionately.

“I should have guessed you wouldn’t have cared,” Alan says, a deep laugh rumbling from his chest. “Yeah, it is. I want my achievements to be mine, you know?” He leans on the table, before shuffling the paperwork Max had handed back to him at some point. “It’s  _ useful _ for this op, but if the Commander has any link to this, we’ll have to discourage him from trying to capitalize on the connection.”

Jin shifts from behind Misaki, leaning over her as he speaks. “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Jin says reassuringly. “I’ll be your primary point of contact and I’m also your superior officer here at Neuron - a few tweaks and we can say I’m grooming you to run my information network while I hunt bounties. It’s a minor detail, but it’ll add depth to what we’re doing. Aoba remembers me at my worst; so, he’ll tread carefully around you, and I’ll reinforce that,” Jin says, shaking his head. “Don’t you worry. I’ll shield you from the worst of it.”

Alan eyes him in confused curiosity, but he takes him at his word, nods slowly. “Okay…” Alan says the words dubiously, but seems okay with the reassurance. “Right, the last thing. Captain, if you can do the honors?” Alan gives him the paperwork. “I checked the bylaws and regulations, and I think these are the two that apply to our situation. You just need to word the first part of the contract and choose any additional members for vetting.”

Max eyes the paperwork as though it had developed teeth, but sighs heavily and takes it, skimming Alan’s suggested contract with a frown on his features. He corrects a few clauses, tweaks some phrases to his liking, before handing it back.

“This one should be better. I’ve written a contract or two like this before,” Max tells him. “Go ahead and finalize it.” Alan does, and Misaki skims the paperwork, before leaning in to sign it with a light flourish. Jin does so after, and Max signs off himself, before tapping his fingers against his arm in contemplation. “Alright, I’m going to stay here. Bring me Alicia and Akira, separate if you can, in a pair if you can’t. It’s time for the gut test.”

He doesn’t look happy, but Jin smiles reassuringly, and Misaki stands, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“I’ll get them. I can keep Akira busy,” she says. “Mind if I take him out of the building on a patrol?”

Max smiles at his daughter, the expression fading as he looks down at the heavy contract on the table. “Yeah. Go through Harmony Square. I’ll be putting Alicia on serious blast, so it’ll take a few hours. Have fun with your brother.”

She nods at the dismissal, and Jin follows her out, bading a quick goodbye to the remaining two. As she leaves, Misaki wonders if Alicia and Akira are really ready for this.


	20. 【Patrol】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep watch over (an area) by regularly walking or traveling around or through it

Akira is watching Alicia and Jin go, a small frown on his face. Misaki reaches out, her hand lightly landing on his shoulder.

“You okay?” she asks him.

Akira turns to face her, smiling awkwardly at his sister. “Yeah - I’m just a little confused. What’s going on?”

Misaki bumps shoulders with him, grins brightly. She says with a smile, “Performance reviews. Dad went over the last mission with me and Jin, about what happened in the Astral Plane before you guys arrived. I guess he’s just doing his usual evals on what training mods we have to take.” She grins; loops her arm through his so he can’t escape. “Buuuuut, you and I are going on patrol together in Harmony Square!” She cheers, and Akira laughs, amused at his big sister’s antics. “C’mon - it’s been a while since you and I got to relax together.”

Akira smiles indulgently, eyes glittering with affectionate mischief. “That’s because you’re too busy hanging out with your new  _ boyfriend _ ,” Akira teases, and Misaki smacks his shoulder, laughing at him, though she’s also blushing.

“Jin is not my  _ boyfriend _ you jerk!” Misaki denies, and Akira raises a single brow in disbelief. It’s an impressive eyebrow, and she pokes him in the forehead, his brows scrunching down in adorable annoyance.

“I dunno, the way you look at him makes it clear to  _ everyone _ you wanna climb him like a tree.” Akira’s eyebrows wiggle playfully, and Misaki can’t help the following burst of giggles that leaves her breathless with delight. It’s  _ great  _ to be able to spend time with her brother, and she tugs him to the elevators. She leans against him, pouting the whole while.

“You’re  _ convinced _ I’ve got the hots for Jin,” she complains.

Akira chuckles richly, hugs her to his side, punching the button for the basement as he does so. “Everyone’s convinced you’ve got the hots for Jin, sis. You hang off of him like a Christmas ornament.” 

She gives a wounded squeak as the elevator moves down, sniffs at him in betrayal. “You’re just cruel, that’s what you are,” she tells him, the two watching the elevator go down “Jin’s just a  _ friend _ . Really, he is!” she adds, when he gives her that skeptical look he’d learned at Dad’s knee. “He’s been helping me out with some stuff is all. Plus, you spend a lot of time with Alicia but you don’t have a crush on her right? I mean, you can see she  _ obviously _ has a thing for Dad, right?” Akira snorts, but pokes her in the side, darting out of the elevator as it opens. Misaki shrieks a little, before chasing after him to return the favor. “Hey! You can’t just poke and run!” she hollers after him.

Akira laughs brightly, racing over to a car. She pouts her way into the passenger side, clipping her seatbelt in and leaning comfortably against the seats.

“I’m sorry, but you’re just so  _ easy, _ sis. You get all puffed up and bristly, and your hair fluffs.” He snickers when her hands shoot to her hair, patting it down while she glares at him.

“That’s mean,” she tells him sourly. “You better watch out, or your hair gel is gonna go missing,” she warns with a smile. Akira looks horrified.

“You  _ wouldn’t _ ,” he gasps, pulling out of the basement slowly. Misaki sticks her tongue out at him, smirking.

“Try me.”

She bursts into giggles right after, and Akira laughs along with her, the two relaxing and enjoying their first day without any terrifying problems to be had. It’s quiet, and Akira turns up the music, the soothing beats of a smooth jazz song humming along the speakers. She leans against the door, and the day catches up to her in a rush. It’s a good feeling though - her brother is a careful driver.

He glances at her, smiles. “Get some rest sis - it’ll be a good hour at least before I get to Harmony Square. We can pick up some street food and patrol for a pick-me-up.”

She yawns at him sleepily, but takes him at his word, slumping against the door entirely and dozing off, safe and warm.

Misaki rouses after a while to her brother’s touch, his smile warm as he looks down at her. “Hey.” Akira tells her, and she smiles back, stretches.

“Hey you,” she says back, gets out of the car. They’re not at her usual parking spot - Akira had elected to park in the Officers only lot, and she wondered why, until she peeked out over the railing. “Aw shit, I forgot the new movie was out,” she groaned, and Akira gives her a rueful laugh.

“I came to that realization when I was going through the traffic,” Akira confesses to her, and she smacks her forehead. “I guess this is Dad’s way of punishing us for all the risks we took,” Akira chuckles, and she strips out of her jacket, already sweltering.

Misaki stows her jacket in the car, and trots along after him as he leads her out; there was always room for the bike, so she hadn’t ever been in the building before. Akira taps in his passcode before they exit the floor, heading down the stairwell in quick, purposeful strides. They descend two flights before reaching open air, and he gives his sister an arch look.

“Do you want to call in, or should I?” Akira asks.

Misaki rolls her eyes, thumbs her radio on and speaks into it. “This is Ensign Misaki Howard on patrol with Ensign Akira Howard. Does Dispatch copy?” 

The radio fritzes slightly. It’s silent for a moment before Olive’s voice comes online.  ** _Dispatch copies, Ensigns Howard. I’m guessing the Captain sent you two out?_ ** Olive’s tone is warm and teasing, and Misaki chuckles softly.

“Roger that Dispatch,” she agrees, before continuing. “Is there anywhere we need to patrol? Captain’s given us a few hours leeway for active patrol time.”

There’s the sound of typing over the radio, and Olive comes back on, her voice full of pleased amusement.  ** _Swing by the abandoned Ark Mall. Officers Mitsuru Alba and Avery Powell are finishing their shift, and could use some relief. There’s some reports of red matter buildup, so it’s probably not a bad idea to clean it up with your Legions._ **

Misaki swallows a little. Hooo boy. She hadn’t stepped foot in the mall outside of the battles against the Arm Legion.

“Sounds good, Dispatch,” she says instead of giving voice to her concerns. “Ensigns Howard, out.”

She swallows her worries, shooting her twin a bright beam that doesn’t fool him in the slightest. Akira bumps shoulders with her gently, and Misaki tries to swallow her nerves as they meet Mitsuru and Avery at the entrance. Poor Mitsuru looked tuckered out, while Avery was holding a half-crushed can of her latest energy drink. She tilts her head to read the label.

_ Strawberry Battery _ . Misaki files it away to try later, before smartly saluting, her brother following suit easily.

“Morning Officers,” she manages to inject some good cheer into her voice, and they salute her back before relaxing.

“Morning yourselves!” Avery chirps happily, Mitsuru bending like an overcooked noodle. Misaki gives him a look askance, and Avery wilts a little. “There’s some sort of strange thing growing in the upper levels. No signs of any chimeras or Aberrations, but lots of weird gunk and some poison bulbs. The X-Baton doesn’t have the right reach, and Mitsuru overexerted himself like usual.” Avery flicks her partner a fond, exasperated smile, and Misaki smiles back. “Watch your backs in there Ensigns,” she warns, and Akira nods, answers for them.

“We’ll be super careful,” Akira promises, and they salute once more, before heading off their own separate ways.

They trot inside, and Misaki activates her IRIS. Her Legion croons affectionately once summoned, as does Akira’s, though Arrow goes straight to petting Akira’s hair instead of poking about. Misaki sets her baton to gladius, and blinks when Akira’s shifts to a form she didn’t recognize.

“Is that...” Misaki trails off, stunned. Akira beams at her, pleasure radiating off his entire being.

“It is!” Akira gushes, cradling the X-Baton’s  _ sniper _ rifle in his arms. “You know I wanted to be on Sniper Team right? Well, Tabitha overheard me talking to Alicia about it, and she’s had me working on this for the last four days. Sniper Team cleared it as a working prototype and here I am! I’m the first to trial-run it!”

He glows faintly, more so than usual with his Legion summoned, clearly delighted with himself. Misaki gives him a big grin, plants a kiss on his cheek and squeezes him in a one armed hug. Akira squeaks at her, but he’s grinning, so  _ delighted _ by it that he couldn’t contain his pleasure if he tried.

“Look at you!” Misaki grins, genuinely delighted by his own excitement. In their former future, Akira had put his goal of sniper on a serious backburner, which had fed into his resentment. Here, he was getting his chance to do what he really wanted. “You and your Legion make a heck of a pair, huh?”

His Legion croons agreement. Misaki’s partner swoops over, and curiously holds his swords out to Akira. Akira eyes him dubiously, before turning to her.

“Does he want to hold it?” Akira says, incredulous.

Misaki snorts slightly, before answering her twin. “Yeah, he wants to hold it. He does it with my gladius all the time.”

Akira gingerly cradles his baby in his arms, before reluctantly offering it out. Her partner’s swords dissolve, shaping into their usual blueshifting hands, and he examines the sniper rifle curiously, before handing it back to Akira.

_ Gunwant Misakiself, _ her Legion says, and she draws him close to flick his faceplate gently.

“No guns for you. I don’t trust you with  _ your  _ weapon, let alone a gun,” Misaki scolds him fondly, and Akira chuckles. “Now, c’mon. I’ll look about getting some mods. Maybe I’ll take you to Tabitha,” she teases her Legion, giving him a fond pat to the head. He chirrups agreeingly. “Let’s go,” she tells her brother, who is watching with patient amusement. “I want to at least get rid of all those gas bulbs.”

Akira nods amiably. “Sounds good to me,” he grins, red hair shimmering as he turns to look around. “Where to first? Top down or bottom up?” he asks, crossing his arms, rifle shifting to a standard blaster. 

Misaki hums, rocking back on her heels. “Bottom up,” she decides, hefting her sword over her shoulder. “I’d feel better about not getting ambushed if we have a little peace of mind down below; that whole bullshit with the plaza was one too many for me,” she complains, gets a watery smile from her twin.

“Likewise,” Akira agrees, smiling at his big sister affectionately. “Let’s go sis, I want to go and stress-test, so come on!”

She chuckles; lets him take the lead as is his wont. Misaki is quick to flick her partner out, allowing him to clean up the Red Matter while Akira gets his practice in. There’s no real signs of Jena’s monsters on this floor, and she makes sure to poke her head around, checking for the tunneled roots of the Homunculi Jena had implanted, but finding nothing. That’s at least a small relief. Akira gets his practice in, aiming for the gas bulbs they come across and the rare Aberration. It’s quiet - almost peaceful. They share idle chatter together, and Misaki can feel how happy her Legion is.

Of course, there’s trouble ahead.

Misaki is the first to hear it, the steady thumping noises of something falling to the ground, and then the heavy sounds of footsteps. Her expression grows concerned, and she falls back, hand touching her twin’s side anxiously.

“Akira, do you hear that?” she asks him, and her brother tilts his head, confused. Understanding dawns a moment later, and he creeps along behind her, their Legions dismissing themselves. She leads them through the undamaged halls. Halfway up the stairs, Misaki pauses, holds her hand up in a tight fist. Akira obediently hunkers down, and she peers around the railing.

Hoooly  _ shit _ .

An ominous red gate is taking up half of the space, chimeras prowling over the area and slowly spreading out. They’re smarter than the ones she remembers, fanning out and scanning ahead of themselves.

“Fuck,” Misaki whispers, before ducking back down. “Akira - any chance your Legion can make some sort of distraction?” Akira frowns, before nodding hesitantly. “Okay, great. We need them to be distracted - so can you do that for me?”

She peers over the edge again, scowling. Akira is looking around, and his fingers slide over her shoulder, tap against her lower ribcage in careful rhythm. He stops, repeats it again. She glances back at him, and he tilts his head to a side.

“Look up and then left. There’s a chandelier there,” Akira whispers.

Misaki looks, and she can see it, jewel-colored and glittering. It hadn’t been in the Mall on her first - or subsequent - visits, so it must have been destroyed during Jena’s takeover. She smiles at her twin, nods at him.

“Go ahead. Make sure it’s flashy  _ and _ noisy.” Misaki says quietly back.

Akira readies his rifle; takes aim. He summons his Legion, hair glowing as the Arrow pumps his rifle with bright red power. Akira steadies himself with a slow breath out, before firing. It sails through the air, shatters with a crystalline ring and sends the whole thing crashing in a perfect cacophony of noise. Every chimera swings round, chasing the noise as they run past the gate, leaving it open.

“C’mon!” Misaki drags him towards the open gate, and Akira squeaks, tugs her from the gate.

“Sis are you  _ mad? _ That’s the Astral Plane!” Akira is glaring at her, red eyes narrow.

“And chimeras are coming out of  _ that _ gate!” Misaki snaps back at him. “We traveled through fine after we all did our syncs,” she insists, tugs him closer. “Do you  _ want _ a redshift outbreak? We can  _ stop _ them!” 

Akira’s shoulders slump. He knows, “You’re going to go whether or not I join you, aren’t you?” He blows a defeated sigh past his lips, and smacks the back of her head gently. “Dad’s going to kill us. Actually, he’s going to kill  _ me _ , and then he’s going to kill you.” Akira laces his fingers with hers, a half-scowl slowly turning to excitement. “C’mon sis - I guess we’re getting into trouble together like always.”

Misaki looks into that brightening grin and smiles - she’s definitely going to be alright with him around. “Like always,” she confirms.

The two run headlong into the gate.


	21. 〖Duplicity〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> deceitfulness; double-dealing.

Max was going to  _ kill _ them, Jin thinks with amusement, watching his Captain pace and Olive try to get through to the twins. Misaki must have forgotten that he hadn’t removed Akira’s tracking yet, and now the Captain was going nuts with worry over his wayward children.

“Captain,  _ calm _ down,” Jin says firmly, pulling his leader to a full halt with a strong grip on his hand. Max’s searing glare cuts through him, but Jin doesn’t even flinch. “They’re doing what they think is right. Could you imagine the possible casualties if regular officers were assigned to patrol an open gate with Chimeras?” That pulls his Captain up short. Jin takes the advantage and presses on: “You can still ream them for not calling for back-up, and you can  _ definitely _ yell at them for not alerting  _ Olive _ , but they’re doing their jobs. Let Olive patch through, get an idea of where the gate was, and then we can go cuff them round the head. With lunch.”

Jin keeps his tone soothing, even though his grip grows stronger when Max tries to wiggle free. Max yelps at the sudden increase in strength, turning wounded eyes on him.

“They’re in  _ danger, _ ” Max says at last, slumping weakly.

Alicia, who  _ still _ kept shooting Jin wide-eyed looks after her induction to their little off-the-books operation, bumps Max’s hip with her own. “And they’re tough kids. Look Cap’n, I get it,” She leans into his space, a hand on his chest. “But they’ll do the right thing, same as you like to do. Let’s catch up with them,  _ after _ we get our food for us  _ and _ them.” She snorts at Max’s stubborn determination, pokes him in the ribs. “C’mon. The Commander needs to talk to us before we head out. I’ll stay here, he said he needed to talk to the two of you specifically.”

Max stiffens slightly, and Jin knows why. Jin sighs, but hauls his Captain away, reluctance dogging his steps as surely as they were Max’s.

They’re halfway to the Commander’s plush,  _ secure _ office when Max shoots Jin a worried glance. Jin rolls his eyes, pats his Captain’s shoulder.

“They’ll be fine. They’re your curse, remember?” Jin teases gently, and Max smoothers a snort. “Besides, Misaki and Akira are a good team. Even if we did kick their asses.”

This time, Max can’t stop the noise from leaving his mouth, and he flushes, though it’s with a rueful grin. Jin sobers once they’re at the door of the Commander’s  _ plush _ quarters. Jin has to fight the shudder of disgust that comes over him at the opulence. He could have fed himself for  _ months _ selling even one of the gold and jewel knick knacks that lined the shelves. Everywhere Jin looked was garish, a flaunting of power that the older man obviously couldn’t resist.

For a moment, Jin felt like absolute  _ slime _ , just standing in his repulsive presence; however, Jin schools his appearance into polite neutrality, glad that Max was doing enough bristling for the both of them. The Commander turns around with a genial smile, and Jin wishes he dared spit on the man.

“Ah, Captain. Specialist. I heard the commotion over your two youngest. Has Olive gotten through to them?” he asks.

Jin forces his disgust down to answer for the both of them. His words are blunt, and he can’t help the inflection of annoyance in his tone: “Not yet, Commander. Officer Lopez is keeping eyes on it for us and will let us know once Olive’s patched through again.”

The Commander hums, and Jin waits for the next oil-slathered words to drip from the man’s mouth. It’s almost a letdown the words are a simple, “I see.”

The disappointment, such as it was, doesn’t last long. The Commander turns away, but Jin can imagine he’s tenting his fingers together, thinking about how best to ruin their days. His tone is every bit as oil slick as Jin had been expecting: “I am made to understand that Miss Tabitha in our R&D department has completed that camera you requested. Pick that up while you’re on your way out, and take a few photos of the Astral Plane, if you’d be so kind. I authorized her to duplicate a camera for each member of your team. I do hope you’ll take some photos of the enemy while travelling in that area. It’ll be useful to know what we’re up against.” He turns back around, and makes a shooing motion with a hand. “Dismissed, Captain. I’d like to speak to Specialist Wong a moment longer.”

Max turns stiff, but the steely glare the man gives back gives Max no choice in the matter.

“Yes  _ sir _ ,” Max grits, managing to turn the title into a slur without coming off as entirely impertinent. Jin admires that, for a moment, salutes his Captain before he leaves. He comes to attention when  _ that man’s _ eyes are on him, and the Commander scans him silently.

“At ease, Specialist.” The tone is mild, and Jin debates the merits of staying at attention before slipping into rest position, hands tightly clasped around one another. “I see you’ve picked back up your old toolkit from the technology division. Does the Legatus not perform to your standards? Yours is a little more advanced than the typical code I put in for your other teammates, but I’ve seen you tinkering with it during your downtime in Neuron’s technological division.”

It takes everything Jin has to not speak up in his defense at first. Then comes the relief as the situation impacts. Jin’s first instinct, past the relief, is to misdirect the man towards someone else, but he refrains, calmly takes a breath in to relax.

“That’s not my concern,” Jin says mildly, before firming his stance. “I prefer to do my own maintenance whenever possible. I’ve been through enough cock-ups with gear not being to my standard to get twitchy about it. Given the unique status of each Legatus, I’d much prefer that any following updates be done by my hands, sir.”

The Commander raises an eyebrow. “You seemed to be doing just fine prior.” There’s a faint hint of challenge.

Jin doesn’t back down; meets the Commander’s eyes as he states, “That was before we all got dragged into the Astral Plane and our Legions tried to kill us, Commander. My assumption that they did their jobs properly was unfounded, and I’d rather not put myself through that again. They’ve almost gotten my  _ team _ killed. I’d rather not give them another chance, sir.”

Their staring match held for a few moments, before the Commander gives a sigh, leans back. Reluctantly he concedes, “On this, I agree. They did nearly kill the whole team, and who knows what Legions off their leash would have done.” Yoseph tilts his head as if coming to a decision. “I will see to it that the technicians in the ARI forward you the Legatus’s specs and give you a better toolkit than the standard issue one given to all Neuron Tech staff. Go on and rescue your wayward members - Olive will have the kit for you when you return, and if you wish to modify the outer casing, she will have the necessary forms for that as well. Dismissed, Specialist.” The Commander makes a dismissive motion.

Jin gives a reluctant salute. He slips out, shoulders slumping in relief the  _ moment _ the doors shut behind him. Max is there in the hall, a thin line of his mouth and a trembling in his fingers. On seeing Jin alive, Max states, “Alicia’s in the chopper. King’s flying us in - you can tell us what the Commander said on the way.”

Jin raises an eyebrow, but trots obediently after Max, the two hurrying up to the heliport. Jin doesn’t say anything, tries to keep his peace through silence. They pull in, and Max’s mouth relaxes, the man slumping against the seats as they lift off.

“So?” Alicia quickly jumps on Jin verbally, her expression tense and worried. “What did the Commander say?” she asks him, her hand reaching out to pat Max’s knee. Jin swallows a sigh, but answers her.

“He saw me tinkering with my Legatus during downtime, so he’s giving me a toolkit to manage each member’s Legatus straight from the ARI. Which means I’m going to be bugged to hell and gone.” Jin wrinkles his nose, scowling. “I’m going to get it when I come back, so I’ll have all night to pick through the code and remove the bugs.”

Their radios beep as one, and Alan’s voice comes online, all three stiffening.

“You can ask Hal Clark - I’ve seen him hanging around the Neuron Tech area more often recently with that drone of his. Stuff like that slows down software. He’ll clean it for you in like ten minutes.” Alan’s voice is a little tinny, but given that he’s in the cockpit, that doesn’t surprise Jin. The fact its Alan speaking lets Max relax minutely.

“Okay - you sure you can handle that?” Max asks carefully, and Jin smiles at him, amused.

“I’ll be fine, Captain. I’ve kept up with the times, and I help out on slow days - Kay’s always happy to foist extra work off on me, and that reflects in my paycheques.” Jin grins, and his Captain huffs a reluctant laugh. “My toolkit works on it, so whatever they give is probably much better.”

There’s an uncomfortable silence before Alicia hesitantly inquires, “What if they want you to take the blame for anything that goes wrong?”

Jin’s lips curl into a faint, vicious grin in answer, says nothing.

The rest of the ride is spent in silence. Alan sets the chopper on the landing pad, gets out with them, and hands the keys to an officer nearby.

“You’re coming with us?” Alicia looks surprised.

Alan barks a quick laugh; shakes his head negative. “Heavens no. I don’t have a Legion, and apparently the gate was spewing Chimeras before they went in. I’m going to be working with Billy on keeping civilians from trying to get in where they don’t belong. Best of luck, though. I’ll be rooting for you. Let me know when the other Howard twin is in on this, yeah? I’ll follow some leads while I’m here, see about planting a tracking gate on that door to Sector V.” He nods at them, before disappearing downstairs, letting them stew in silence.

“Okay,” Max sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Change of formations - Alicia, you spend some quality time with Misaki. The Astral Plane is as private as it’s going to get, and I can interrogate Akira there easy enough. Jin, with me. We’ll figure out what we’re doing from inside the building. Sweep it, keep an eye out for chimeras inside, get them gone before going through the gate after the twins. Clear?”

Jin snaps a quick salute, Alicia following.

They make their way to the mall, slipping past the cordons of security, the three of them disappearing into the quiet building. Jin’s not surprised to hear the snarling of chimeras, eyes narrowing in comprehension.

“Shit.” Max groans. “How many of these fuckers got out before they went through?”

Jin rolls his eyes, amused. “You think your kids would go through a gate without a good reason Cap? They’d never risk  _ your _ wrath for anything less than an invasion.” Alicia chokes a laugh back as Max swings his head around to glare at him. “What’s  _ actually _ bothering you Captain?” Jin raises an eyebrow, and Max bristles, before slumping.

“I can’t imagine what I’ll do if they’re hurt.” Max says quietly. “They’re all I have, and now one’s throwing herself under a bus for a drug that should have been destroyed, and the other’s running around blind to the dangers. I want my children _ safe, _ Jin, and there’s not a blame thing I can do about this.”

Jin hums softly, squeezes his arm. “They’ll be okay Max. They’re yours. Have a little faith.” Jin scolds, his tone at odds with his earlier actions. “Now c’mon - they need us.”

Max slumps, but follows after Jin, Alicia trailing behind.

Despite knowing that Misaki had done this before, that she’d come out unhurt previously - Jin couldn’t help but worry. This timeline was shaping up to be nothing like before, and her notes were getting close to useless. He held on to them regardless - the enemy notes were at least interesting, and Misaki had a lot of useful things in them - but the cases? They were falling apart, and not in a good way.

The team keeps to a tight knit group, takes out the chimeras in the building quickly and with purpose. They have a good view of the gate once they’ve cleared the higher levels, and Jin’s lips thin slightly.

This explained why Jena’s Homunculi had become so strong. If there were this many hanging around before, it must have absorbed a ridiculous number of these things. Jin grits his teeth, keeps moving. They clear the rest of the building, before returning to the gate.

“There’s no new spawns. Here’s hoping the twins are doing their part,” Alicia says wryly. “After you Captain.”

Max growls under his breath, but summons his Legion, the newly familiar gold glow filling the atmosphere. Jin and Alicia following suit with their own Legions. There’s a moment of hushed discussion, before Max swings his Legion ‘round, diving into the gate. Alicia glances at Jin, and he smiles wryly, his Legion next to fling itself through the gate, taking him with it.


	22. 〖Duplicate〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> having two corresponding or identical parts.

It doesn’t really take long to find Misaki and Akira, to their surprise. The two were arguing over a fork in the path, Misaki vehemently trying to convince Akira to go left, and Akira arguing to go the other way in passionate, deeply annoyed tones.

“Everything’s clear behind us,” Misaki snaps in annoyance, hand over her face as she argues with her twin. “Why do you think I poked and prodded at every little shit that could have moved? It wasn’t because I wanted to take photos of the scenery! We go  _ left _ . Don’t make me pull the older sister knows best card,” she growls, close to stomping her foot - likely on  _ Akira’s _ feet.

Max’s lips twitch, and Alicia hides a cough in her fist. Jin’s expression fills with amusement - it was good to see them like this. 

“And I say  _ right _ \- I can see movement, and unlike yours, there’s nothing in the way!” Akira flails when he’s annoyed. Misaki gives a high-pitched noise that could have passed for a squeak if it wasn’t so  _ angry _ .

_ “My Legion can get through it, you obtuse orangutan of a brother!” _ Misaki nearly shrieks the words, hands flinging up into the air. _ “Do you seriously think-” _ she grinds to a halt, and Jin smirks at her when her eyes meet his. Misaki sighs, and buries her head in her hands, before lifting one hand up. “It’s my fault,” she deadpans. “I convinced him.”

“Well, at least you’ve learned to accept responsibility,” Jin deadpans back, Max taking a breath to scold her. Jin elbows him, and Max wheezes the air out from the force. “Why.”

It’s a statement, not a question, and Misaki wilts just the tiniest bit. He asked her this after every mission she’d ever done, demanded her reasons, and she always gave them, without question.

“The gate was spilling chimeras constantly -  _ smart _ chimeras. They were spreading out, conducting search patterns and looking for something. They couldn’t just keep  _ coming _ . Who knows what that number of chimeras in the mall could have done? There’s a lot of homeless people who live in this building. What kind of officer would leave them to face something they can’t see? Sure, we could have let it go, reported it to HQ, and then what? How many would have come through the gate? Ten? A hundred?” she asks, fierce, before meeting his gaze and shrinking. “I couldn’t have done that to them.”

Jin can see the dawning understanding on Akira’s face, the way Max stiffens at her response.

Max gives a heavy sigh, strides closer and drags both of his children into a tight hug. Jin can’t help but grin at the squeaks of surprise they give, nor the pleased flush on both of their faces when he whispers softly in their ears something Jin suspects to be praise.

“You all make hard choices,” Max complains to them quietly, before planting a quick kiss on their foreheads. “You’re still on punishment detail - once I figure something that will suffice.”

Misaki smiles up at him, leans against her father. “Yessir,” she chirps, relaxed and easy against him.

Max glares at Akira, who wilts a little. “You’re coming with me and Jin. Misaki, you and Alicia can head left. We’re here, might as well clean the place out. I’ll figure out your punishment later,” he reminds his daughter, and Misaki even throws in a cheerful salute, Alicia slinging an arm over Misaki’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Captain. We’ll take care of the left-hand side. You enjoy your  _ chat _ ,” Alicia grins wickedly, watches Akira pale.

Max waits until they’re gone, and he clamps a hand on Akira’s shoulder. “Let’s go,” Max tells him, his tone unyielding. “Now, this is a conversation that’s  _ long _ overdue.” Max is really laying it on thick, and Jin smoothers a chuckle, clearly amused at how Akira both pales and wilts under the hard touch. “I’ve not done your gut check yet, so why don’t we do that while we put some chimeras on blast, eh?” He ruffles Akira’s hair.

Jin gently touches Akira’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry - I’ll keep him from going all out, okay?” Jin smiles down at Akira, and the boy looks so relieved that Jin can’t smoother the snort that leaves him. Max glowers at Jin, but he can see the edge of quiet appreciation. They’d done this to Alicia, and while Max  _ despised _ being the bad-cop in any scenario, he did such a  _ good _ job at it when he did.

“C’mon. Move your ass,” Max says sternly, and the younger man swallows nervously, trotting behind his father. Jin sighs, rolls his eyes heavenward. Akira relaxes once Jin walks by his side, and he admires the rifle form Akira shifts his X-Baton to.

“Congrats,” Jin says with a patient smile.

Akira preens happily at the praise. Max offers his own congratulations, and he can see how Akira practically glows under his father’s approval. They walk forward in silence, and Jin takes note of the battlefield ahead.

“Why don’t you two stay up here?” Jin suggests, smiling. “Akira can get some practice with sniping, and I can run a data check while I practice. It’ll be better this way - keeps me from getting data from someone else’s Legatus. Don’t worry Akira - an X-Baton gunshot won’t hurt me. Worst it’ll do is feel like a couple of pins and needles.”

Jin smiles innocently when Max pins him with a glare, and Akira pales a little. 

“A-are you sure?” He asks helplessly, and Jin laughs, ruffles his hair. How sweet.

“Yeah, I’m sure kiddo.” Leaning in, he whispers, “Promise, your pop’s bark is worse than his bite.”

Jin winks, and Akira laughs at him, warming. He knocks his fist gently against a shoulder, and then claps his Captain on the arm. Turning, Jin surveys the battlefield, fiddles with his Legatus until the data program chirps and signals it’s online. He takes another minute, summons his partner.

_ Jinfriend! _

His partner is a happy thing, patting the top of his head and happily making himself at home along their bond. Jin gives a breathless chuckle, pats a hand against his partner’s chest.

“Hello dearheart. Ready?” he asks his partner, and it chirps happily, ready for the battle ahead. He jumps down, and his Legion sails over, fires a dark purple shot that compresses, before expanding out to suck his opponents in.

_ Oooh. That was  _ handy _ to have, _ Jin thinks; allows gravity to pull him along for the ride before calling his partner to loop around the mass of chimeras, tighten like a noose around them as they struggle to free themselves from the gravitational sphere. It’s an easy fight at first, but the moment he starts taking out some of the small fry, the field begins to flood with them. Chimeras of every type rush in from every corner.

His Legion chirps for him, and Jin allows it to pull him along, hops along on top of the armor as it rains punches down, swinging hard fists every which way while Akira fires red-glowing bullets. It’s  _ fun _ , Jin realizes, laughing freely as combat picks up, becomes faster and more enjoyable as the variety grows in number and size. It’s a hard paced ten minutes, and Jin can tell when Akira starts easing into his weapon, confidence allowing him to account for Jin and his Legion’s actions; to take riskier shots. Laughing at one particularly close shot, Jin decides to radio in, tease the boy a little.

“Getting bold there, Akira,” he teases.

Akira’s response is garbled - Max’s laughter tells him it was insulting however, and Jin takes a moment to look at them, flies the bird in their direction. Max laughs louder, amused.

The torrent slows down after another five minutes, and Jin allows his Legion to set him on his shoulder to watch the scenery a moment. His partner floats over to the gap, lightly pushes Jin up to land on the plateau in a soft tap of feet. Akira is pouting at him, but there’s a very real edge of worry - Jin glances at Max, gets a nod of confirmation.

“You need a hug?” Jin asks, and Akira scrambles to his feet, slams into Jin the next moment. He wheezes a breath, cradles the boy close to him while he sobs a thank you into his chest. Max is standing, holding Akira’s X-Baton in his hands as he worries, eye full of the words he doesn’t want to say.

“Why didn’t she tell me? I would have helped her!” Akira warbles, teary. Jin hauls the boy up, gets an indignant squeak as he carries the boy in his arms. Jin rocks the young man a little longer before setting him down, rubs his cheeks dry with his thumbs.

“The same reason she didn’t tell your father at first. People who take Blue Evolve are  _ stronger _ than the normal person - fatally stronger. It’s not even a matter of trust, it was a matter of safety. Plus, unlike either of you, I have a lot of civilian informants.” He taps Akira’s nose, gets another sniffle for his trouble. Jin hugs Akira tight, before turning him around and pushing him into his father’s arms. Max squeezes him tightly, and Akira buries his head in his shoulder, basks in his father’s care.

The moment is broken when their radios crackle, and Misaki’s radio comes online.

**Guys, we’ve got a problem!** Misaki radios in immediately, tone just shy of panic. Akira’s eyes go wide, and he turns immediately, looks for his sister. Max’s brows raise when the gun is snatched out of his hands, the boy ready to tear off after his big sister.  **There’s a flying chimera over here - really, really big, and our shots aren’t doing anything - ouch!**

The line is filled with a colorful string of swearwords, and instead of Misaki, Alicia radios in:  **I sent up a distress signal. Hurry up please? Misaki just took some sort of feather arrow to the leg, and it isn’t looking good.**

Akira immediately starts running. Jin gives an exasperated roll of his eyes, chases the boy so he doesn’t try to take on whatever it is single handedly. Max doesn’t have the same amount of exasperation, but he can feel the sheer  _ worry _ . Jin understands, of course, why they’re worried, but he can’t bring himself to become so manic over her safety. He reels them back in after a few minutes of running, glares back when they glare at him.

“Breathe,” he orders, arms crossing as they bristle. “I said  _ breathe. _ ” He lets a hint of command into his voice, and both of them stiffen in surprise, immediately straightening under his words. “We can’t go in there half-cocked - that’s a quick way to getting all of us killed. Now Akira, you stay back, cover fire if needed, do  _ not _ get closer.” He glares at Akira until the boy wilts and nods. He flips his glare to his Captain, and Max winces slightly. “You go to Misaki, defensive protection with your Legion. Keep her from further injury. I’ll retrieve Alicia.” He glares darkly at them, before flicking a hand at them. “ _ Now _ we go - we have a plan now, so move your asses.”

They scramble at his tone, Akira obediently trailing behind, gun at the ready and Max already leading. Jin grins internally. It was good to see the skills he’d honed during the downtime hadn’t lost their touch. 

The sight they come to is not pretty. Misaki is on the ground, blood oozing over her thigh and scratches on her cheeks. Alicia has it pretty bad herself, limping again and hands shaking from electrical shock.

Max is the first on the scene, Akira taking refuge behind a pillar as he aims his weapon. Jin takes to the field shortly after, his weapon at the ready to prepare for any dangers that could come his way. Catching sight of the enemy, Jin gives a quiet groan, catches up to Alicia and hauls her back. The chimera is… it’s big. Each wingbeat feels like a push against his body, the air pressure a physical weight. Shots fire out, and the chimera draws further away, the pressure easing for a moment as he drags Alicia behind a pillar. He pulls her boot off, grimaces.

“What is it with you and leg injuries?” Jin jokes, wrapping it up professionally. “Hike back over to Akira, use your Legion if you must.”

He fits the boot back over, and she grunts a thank you, wobbling onto her Legion. It nudges her with a whine of worry, bounds over the ground and leaps over to Akira, who touches Alicia’s shoulder before aiming again at the chimera.

Jin glances over at Misaki and Max, wishes he was closer. Max is trying to patch her up, and by Misaki’s flinching, he wasn’t exactly being gentle. Jin moves to join them, but he’s interrupted when a screech of claws skate over the pillar he’s hiding behind, Jin throwing himself out of the way. Max hauls his daughter up into his arms, his Legion curling against their daughter, shielding as they run.

Jin can see how the damn thing’s attention turns, and he curses softly, throwing his partner out. The Arm Legion wraps a large hand around a clawed foot and  _ yanks _ . The winged chimera is dragged back, a loud screech leaving it as Jin flinches a little. His partner swings the chimera around, away from Max and Misaki for a few more precious moments. His reward was much less satisfying: The chimera straining to free itself from his partner’s grasp and dragging them along. He curses under his breath.

_ Jinfriend? Punchlots? _ his partner asks. Jin gives a truly  _ vicious _ grin in response.

_ Drag it to me and I will help you punch it lots, _ he promises.

The Arm Legion purrs along the bond, and hauls the chimera back to him. Jin braces his weapon in both hands once it’s flung - none-too-gracefully, mind - near him, his partner swinging him up into the air before coming down with prejudice. The combined attack sends the damn thing reeling, flailing against the ground.

He’s a  _ bit _ busy, punching this thing across the floor, so he doesn’t immediately register what’s going on until his Legion yanks him out of the way. That’s not enough to save him - whatever it is, it’s  _ fast _ . It slams into him and sends Jin bodily into a pillar. Pain registers as a cold shock up his spine, before he staggers to his feet.

_ Jinfriend! _

His partner’s cry is the only warning he gets before he’s slammed into the wall again, though this time he’d pulled his weapon into a block, so the impact didn’t jar him nearly as much as the first one did. He groans in pain, recalls his partner to resummon him, the burst of power enough to deflect a few shots. He can hear his radio, but his head aches too much to focus on it properly. He  _ hurts _ something fierce, and he’s going to have bruises tomorrow.

Turns out there’s two of the damn things, and Jin and his partner can’t do much more than block, boxed in as he is, talons screeching over the weapon. He was going to have to  _ repair _ this fucker later, he thinks fuzzily, when he’s slammed back again, his partner dispersing with a worried cry.

Chains of bright gold reach out to rip talons from him, and Jin blinks dazedly, tries to stand up. Akira is standing in front of him, talking to him carefully, lifting him up and hauling him with surprising strength. He feels Akira pull the weapon from his grip; allows him to use it. It changes colors to a pretty red in his grasp, shifting into blaster mode.

Jin’s being berated, he knows, but it doesn’t matter because Misaki is so  _ clearly _ safe, pale and terrified behind…

Jin swings his head to look at the Akira hauling him across the ground, before looking back at the Akira taking care of Misaki and Alicia.

What the  _ fuck _ .

Misaki swoops in, wraps him in a hug despite Akira’s overlapping protests (wow this was making his head hurt), patting his hair down and holding him close. Alicia pats down her pockets, looking for medicine. She produces some, and forces the foul concoction down Jin’s throat despite his protests.. Akira - and Akira, okay this was getting  _ strange _ \- looks at him in worry; he forces a smile to his lips.

“I’m okay,” he tries over the roar of battle. Misaki pulls back; glares at him.

Whatever she’s about to say, Jin doesn’t hear, as the injuries - and pain relief - catch up to him, turns his world black.


	23. ❮Prime❯

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> from which another thing may derive or proceed.

There’s a lot Akira can deal with. Getting the third degree by  _ Dad _ was hard enough, especially once Jin promised to take some of the edge off. It wasn’t… as bad as he thought. Jin had still  _ somehow _ managed to make Dad’s temper seem less scary than it actually was, even though most of the time Jin was far away, fighting chimeras. 

Akira couldn’t help but agree with his sister though - Jin was an _ idiot _ the rest of the time. 

Granted, the man was an idiot who had saved his family, so he deserved a little slack. A _ little. _ But  _ still _ . Akira can see how battered Jin is getting through his partner’s eyesight. Jin’s body is slammed back against the wall over and over, Jin’s partner - Jin’s  _ Legion _ \- trying so hard to protect him from the worst of it.

The world slows.

No shot will be precise enough to stop what’s coming. Arrow unsummons herself, disappearing into the ether.

Misaki is settled behind him, and his Dad - his Captain - is racing out to meet the chimeras, draw them off Jin. But even with Dad’s intervention, Jin can’t  _ stay _ there. He’s bleeding, and if he tried to walk on his own he could hurt himself! 

Akira flicks his IRIS on, and the damage report is  _ staggering _ . Jin wouldn’t be able to walk in his state! He can see his father throw the chains over the chimera, force them away from their  _ weak _ prey. Jin slumps against the wall, nearly dropping his X-Baton.

_ Stupid _ Jin. Akira could hear Misaki screaming Jin’s name, safe behind him and held back by Alicia. She was his  _ sister _ \- and she was never scared.

Unless it was for Jin.

And his sister, scared... That’s not something Akira can let stand.

_ Initializing _ .

The core of his Legion pulses, and he casts a quick glance down, feels a wash of energy as though his Legion was  _ scanning  _ him. For what purpose, he doesn’t know, but he trusts his partner to do what she could for Jin.

_ RAVEN Protocol processed _ .

Akira can feel the tug of energy as it pulls him in two different directions, stretching his awareness in the same way his Legion did. It tugs and pokes, nudges and leads him into actions and directions he’d never have been able to do without guidance.

_ Launch at will _ .

His Legion can’t reach, but Akira can. He stretches his hand out, flings the Legatus out as it glows - the red core launching a sphere of glowing lights. The lights race to Jin as the Captain hauls one of the large harpy-like chimeras into the path of the Axe Legion’s weapon, cleaving it in half. The lights pass Max, solidifying the same way his Legion had, the first time he’d ever summoned her. It skids to a stop before Jin, and the world  _ doubles _ .

_ Prime. Directive? _

It sounds like him-not-him, an echo of an old audio recording. Akira can see Jin as clear as if he was in front of him, but he can also see his father, still too busy. He can hear what is going on behind him, Misaki’s struggles having stopped abruptly at the sight.

It questions again, and he pushes thoughts along the connection like threading a string.

_ Get Jin to safety. Take his X-Baton. _

It does the rest from there, and the odd echo-flash fades, allows Akira to see normally. Hauling Jin is no easy task - the man is  _ heavy _ \- but his copy can do it with ease, X-Blaster at the ready. The copy passes the fight, hauls Jin over to him. Misaki breaks past Alicia to his protests, flings her arms around him in a worried hug. Jin seems to forget the rest of the world exists at her touch; tries to comfort her. Akira protests Misaki’s actions, and his words leave both bodies, overlapping vehemently. Jin looks dazed, and Alicia forces the medicine down his throat before he can rally. Jin tries to talk again, but the sudden relief from pain sends him into unconsciousness, Misaki cradling him with worry. She looks so frail like that, and Akira looks away.

The sound of footsteps echo, and he turns to face - himself? There’s a sort of wavering connection, another chain stretching out on his Legatus that he could see but not touch. They salute him, and he blinks, a professional lifetime’s worth of habits having him salute back.

That earns him a cheeky grin. The copy... it’s not him. It’s missing some things; the same light his eyes have, the Legatus especially. Akira tests the bond, and it pokes back. The bond is  _ nothing _ like the one with his Arrow Legion; hers is a playful affection, the sort of behavior he thought his big sister would have if she was an angry murder turret.

He feels indignance from his Legion.

_ Well you are,  _ Akira chuckles affectionately. She settles, gripes at him playfully.

The other Akira looks at him, smiles wide.

_ Prime. Awaiting orders _ .

He’s crisp and professional. Akira holds a hand out in expectation, and his unspoken order is obeyed without question. This version of him wears gloves;a clean white pair. Akira pulls the glove off, traces the palm-lines. The copy smiles at Akira, and unsettled, Akira smiles back.

“You… have a name?” Akira asks it.

That draws everyone’s attention to his… clone? The word tastes  _ wrong _ on his tongue, and he casts about for a better one. Copy? Mirror? Twin? No, he had a twin… she annoyed him enough for him to remember it. The other Akira snickers; grins with him in familiar concert.

“I’m whatever you wish to call me,” he says cheerily, leaning back and head tilted. “If you want to give me a name, I’m all ears.”

Akira squints a little at him, but the… shit. What did he call this guy?

Dad draws up once he’s done making mince of the chimera. He stops mid step, blinks, and rocks back on his heels. His good eye is wide and both his eyebrows are raised in stunned bewilderment. Dad looks from Akira to the other and then back to Akira, expression asking what the fuck was going on.

“I don’t know. I made a...” Akira trails off, unsure how to continue. The other version of him finally cottons on to the problem and offers an answer.

“I’m a Raven Protocol Replica. You needed to be in two places at once - so your Legion and Legatus provided,” the replica answers.

Akira blinks. That was… a shockingly simple answer. Akira realizes he’s still holding his replica’s hand and he lets it go, apologetic. The replica simply flashes him a quick grin, tilts his head. Max still looks disbelieving, and Misaki - from where she is holding Jin - is openly dubious. He cheekily salutes Akira, and Akira can’t help the snort that leaves his lips.

“Reporting for duty,  _ sir _ ,” he grins with all the cheek he could muster, and Akira feels a smile tug up his lips. There’s a friendliness there, of something close to what he and his sister had before Neuron, but not quite.

Jin stirs quietly, head pillowed against Misaki’s lap, and she settles him with a touch of her fingers against his throat. Akira’s heart clenches. There’s something there - something tangible and solid and  _ real _ \- a connection he could have never imagined. He’d teased Misaki about Jin, but he watches her hand stroke his hair down, marvels at the tenderness of the action.

A pointed cough brings him back to the replica. It’s an unspoken suggestion, and Akira pulls on the chain, dismisses them. He’ll name them eventually. A ripple of warmth comes across the bond, and he feels a phantom chain add itself to his Legatus.

Dad doesn’t look happy. He moves to take Jin from Misaki’s grasp, and his twin glares at him. Max wilts under her glare, agreeing with Misaki’s stern admonishments at not jostling Jin. Only once Dad has agreed with her demands does Misaki let Max pull Jin into his arms. Dad is listening to Misaki fuss over Jin, scolding him when he jostles the man even slightly. Alica draws up, and Dad slows down to match pace with her.

Akira fiddles with his Astral Chain, fiddles with the invisible links of the Raven Replica. It sends back affection, and he lets a small smile bloom over his lips.

“We’re leaving,” Max says darkly. “Don’t think that the gut check was just for no reason. You’ve been cleared, so that means we need to have a longer  _ chat _ about what Misaki and Jin have been doing behind our backs.”

Akira slides his gaze to his sister, watches her look away, a flush crawling up her cheeks. It’s not embarrassment though - Akira knows his sister well enough to tell when it is. The look on her face - the emotions she was displaying - it was  _ worry _ . She offers him her hand, and he takes it, squeezes her fingers reassuringly. Whatever it is, it couldn’t be that bad. Right?

Well. He was half right.

It was worse.


	24. ᚛Alicia᚜

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Alice, which comes from the Germanic name Adalheidis (Adelaide), meaning "noble natured".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure a lot of you are expecting the explanation for the Akira chapter to be here, but after a lot of thought, I decided against it in favor of moving the story along. It will get addressed, I promise that, but doing it right away took from the importance of this part of the plot.

“How do you  _ not _ own pretty dresses, girl?” Alicia says incredulously, sorting through Misaki’s closet. The girl in question flushes pink, looks down. Turning back to the closet, Alicia decrees, “This is a  _ crime _ . How in the hell are you going to get Jin to notice you without one?” She plants her hands on her hips, turns to see the bright red blush the poor thing was sporting, and grins.

Oh yeah, she still had it.

Misaki’s head has buried itself in her hands, and the poor thing  _ whines _ , almost like a kitten. Kneeling, Alicia tilts her head up, waits until Misaki looks at her, clearly embarrassed.

“You’re terrible,” Misaki complains at last.

Alicia laughs, claps her shoulder gently with a hand. “Terrible, but  _ great _ at fashion. Which you’re going to need for your undercover gig.” Alicia had taken a gander at King’s records and  _ hoo _ boy - Misaki was going to have her work cut  _ out _ for her trying to fool anyone in the clothes she normally wore. “And since all your clothes are blah, dull, or  _ boring _ \- we’re going shopping. And getting you a spa day - c’mon girl, hop-to!” Alicia grins, and Misaki pulls a face at her, obediently stands up. “Now, this is going to be expensive, so I’ll front you some money, but in return, you  _ gotta _ help a girl out, capiche?” Alicia asks her with a smile. Misaki looks startled, but nods easily enough, happy to make that trade. “Good! Because for the  _ life _ of me I can’t understand how your old man makes it to Captain and yet stays so  _ absolutely _ oblivious.”

The girl eases at the words; giggles with a dainty hand over a mouth. Alicia catches her hand, inspects it. She took good care of herself, Alicia decides, turns her hand over so she can inspect the other side. Tiny, delicate fingers - nicely shaped nails - and just a touch of calluses in the right places. At least on the bright side, she would look  _ good _ .

“Dad’s always been like that,” Misaki offers with a smile, once her inspection is done. “I lost count of the number of women in my school who thought he was so  _ handsome _ for raising twins all on his own. He was always so confused about what to do with their phone numbers.”

Alicia blinks, and then laughs, shoulders shaking. That absolute, utter  _ dork! _ She wished she could disbelieve Misaki, but the younger girl’s mirth made it very real.

“He  _ never _ figured it out?” Alicai asks incredulously, snickering. Misaki copies her actions as she unlocks the door, giggles herself.

“Nope! Went all through my school years confused by women. I mean, it’s convenient for you...” Misaki’s voice trails off as she opens the door, finds Jin standing across the hall with a smirk on his face. Alicia immediately makes sure to pay extra attention - she  _ knows _ something’s gonna happen and she wants to see the whole thing.

“I heard you two were going out to prepare for Misaki’s part in the undercover mission,” Jin says wryly. Misaki nods, hesitant. “Well, given that I know you, I’m assuming you don’t have the money for it, do you?”

He’s teasing her, Alicia realizes with glee, watches Misaki turn an adorable shade of red. Jin flips open his wallet, hands her a card.

A  _ black _ card.

“Your shopping’s on me,” Jin tells her with fond amusement. Misaki doesn’t snatch the card out of his hand the way Alicia would, her expression hesitant and a little concerned. Jin rolls his eyes, and some complicated communication passes through their gaze. With a sigh of defeat, she accepts the card. “If it helps,” Jin says with sympathy, “your undercover profile has you doing this anyways, might as well with my permission.” Jin seems tolerantly amused of Misaki’s open-mouthed stare. “Like I said, I get bonuses.” He grins, leans over to plant a kiss on her forehead, gives Alicia a rueful look of annoyance. “Go have fun. Remember you’re putting together your persona, so feel free to ignore the price tags, okay?” He ruffles her hair, walks away.

The moment he’s gone, Alicia snatches the card out of Misaki’s hand, inspects it. It was definitely a black credit card - what sort of shit did Jin  _ do _ to get one?

“Oh girlie - you are  _ so _ going out with style,” Alicia decides, her grin growing bigger. “C’mon - and you can tell me  _ alllll _ about that crush’a yours.”

Misaki protests immediately, but Alicia isn’t having it, clamps a hand around a wrist and drags her to her car. Jin is already gone - a trick Alicia desperately wishes she could replicate given it made him seem so  _ mysterious _ . With one rebellious Howard twin tucked into the passenger side, Alicia snugly settles into her own seat.

Alicia taps her fingers. “So - tell me about your cover story. Gonna be wearing heels?”

Misaki gives her a startled look, having clearly expected more teasing. Which she would get, but just not right away. She wanted Misaki unable to escape when she got to interrogate her. There was  _ no _ way people like Jin would get so cozy with someone and not  _ like _ them. She’d been on a team with the same dumbass for nearly eight years now - and she barely even knew his favorite  _ color _ . 

“Uh - yes. I can run and walk in heels just fine. It’s not my favorite activity though,” Misaki answers.

Alicia hums, starts driving once they’re both settled. She taps her fingers on the wheel, before sliding a considering glance at Misaki. “Where are we going?” Misaki asks.

Alicia answers, “We’re going to a real nice - expensive - store. But we’re stopping by my apartment first. You’ll get laughed at in the clothes you’ve got, and with that card, I can get you an  _ actual _ series of outfits. Plus, you can learn how to play a snooty bitch down pat - we’ll have plenty of people for you to learn from.” Misaki pulls a face at her, but Alicia ignores it, parks in her spot. “Now c’mon girlie - you and I are going out in  _ style _ .”

Misaki does  _ not _ act the part of a party girl, her expression annoyed at the concept. “Isn’t your cover supposed to  _ like _ dressing up?” Alicia complains as they enter her apartment.

Misaki gives a rude snort. “She likes looking pretty for her man,” Misaki corrects. “But she’s not into the actual dressing up itself. Anything she wears was bought by him, and he picks what he thinks she’d look good in.”

Misaki carefully avoids names, and Alicia lets her - after a while, she won’t be able to have that luxury, so she lets Misaki have it for as long as it lasts. Misaki follows her into her room, watches as Alicia starts digging. It takes her a few minutes to find an outfit that’ll fit the smaller girl, but she takes the tight shorts and stockings without complaint.

Alicia  _ does _ get a dubious look over the sparkly gold top and the cute beret she gives the girl though.

“No complaints,” Alicia warns. “You’ll take what I give you and  _ like _ it.”

A pair of hoop earrings and a choker are tossed on top, and Misaki wilts a little. It takes some more searching through her closet, and Alicia comes up with a cute pair of boots that might fit too, shoos the girl into the bathroom; tosses a thick, gold-studded belt in after her.

“Why do you have so many clothes?” Misaki asks incredulously, and Alicia starts pulling on her own outfit.

“Girlie, I’m almost a decade and change older than you, that’s why,” Alicia admonishes the girl, hears a muffled apology. “Sheesh. I used to do a lot of bodyguarding back when I started in the force. A class lady like  _ moi _ doesn’t come around often here, so I did my fair share of protection details as the pretty date. Max saw me fight off an Aberration in heels with a makeshift sword and immediately got me transferred over the moment he could get his mitts on me. We’ve been working for nearly fifteen years together - I took up work in the K-9 division for a while, signed up for Neuron at the word go.” Alicia finishes getting changed, glad she still fit in one of her old dresses. The style had  _ just _ come back into fashion, so it made her seem more on the ball with her fashion choices. “Now c’mon, lemme see what you look like.”

Misaki’s clearly hesitating, but finally, she hears a tiny sigh from the other side of the door, watches it click open.

Alicia blinks.

She’d been hoping for decent, but whoever had taught Misaki fashion had taught her  _ well _ . The shirt is a size too small on her, rides up over her stomach and shows her curves off nicely. Alicia reaches out, tilts the beret a little to match the way she’d styled the belt, adjusts the choker slightly, and steps back.

“Not bad,” Alicia compliments, and Misaki flushes pink; murmurs a thank you. “Just one more thing and you’ll look like a classic,” she says with relish, plucks a pair of sunglasses off, plops them on her nose. Misaki gives a startled noise of surprise, and Alicia nods to herself, grins. “You look  _ perfect _ now,” Alicia reassures her, Misaki blinking up at her in renewed dubiousness. “Here.”

She tosses a tube of bright lipstick, and the girl eyes her dubiously, sighs. Misaki goes to the bathroom to apply the lipstick, comes back with it perfectly over her lips. Shoving a purse at her, Alicia grins at the way she makes an annoyed face, takes a photo of her while she’s distracted. She texts the photo to Jin, puts her phone away.

“Are we going now?” Misaki asks hopefully, and Alicia snorts, amused.

“You’d think I’m taking you to the guillotine with how you’re acting,” she complains, steers the girl into her car. “Tell me you know how to apply makeup,” Alicia says, once they’re in the car. Misaki again eyes her dubiously.

“I don’t do anything more extreme than liner and mascara on the job,” Misaki admits wryly, before continuing, “that said, I’m not bad at it - I just don’t get to go for it much.”

Alicia gives her the stink eye, before nodding. “I can see that. Makeup, jewelry, clothes, spa treatment…  _ and _ Jin’s paying for it -  _ girlie  _ he has to like you.”

Misaki splutters, torn between escape and staying where she was. Given that Alicia was driving at top speed through the highway, she decided to stay.

“What is it with you and insisting he  _ likes _ me!” Misaki snaps, embarrassed and annoyed by the whole conversation. “Jin is my friend, that’s  _ it. _ Jin’s my superior officer - it’s not like anything could happen anyways.” The last Misaki mutters under her breath, tone a little miserable in spite of herself.

Alicia nearly slaps herself in the face.

Stupid noble  _ Howard _ of a girl. Of course she wouldn’t want to date her superior officer. Alicia slides a glance her way, speaks hesitantly.

“You know Misaki,” Alicia says, quiet. Misaki meets her eyes, an edge of defiance in them. “I know that you think I’m teasing - but I am serious about him liking you. I’ve been on a team with the man and I still don’t even know his favorite  _ color _ ,” Alicia says, indignant. Misaki smiles weakly. “Not to mention, that man is an  _ idiot _ \- just like your pops, really.” That startled a laugh from her lips. “Jin… You make him  _ smile _ . Sure, he’ll tease and mess around with your Pops and I, but his smiles don’t reach his eyes. You  _ light _ him up, girlie.” Misaki swallows, looks away. “Just think about what I told you - please?”

Misaki gives a quiet affirmative, head turning away. She takes a deep breath, chest rising high before she shakes her head, face pained. They slide to a stop, and she doesn’t turn to face Alicia, fingers trembling.

“When I leave the car, I have to start acting.” Misaki says the words shakily. “Please… please don’t refer to Jin by name.” Her voice is so small, and Alicia blinks. “ _ Please _ ,” Misaki begs quietly, expression a mix of helplessness and weary determination.

“I promise.” Alicia’s hand lands on a shoulder, and she gives a worried look over the girl.

Alan had dragged Alicia aside for a private briefing. Now, in the quiet car, his words impact:  _ I can’t imagine the damage this could do to their relationship. She’s going to have to pretend for who knows  _ how _ long that she’s in love with a violent, trigger-happy man, and that he’s been grooming her to stand by his side since she was old enough to have a crush on him. Please, whatever she asks of you, even if it’s small. Honor it. _

“Do you want me to call him? Would hearing his voice help?” Alicia cautiously avoids naming names.

Misaki gives her a watery, weak smile. “Please?”

Alicia dials, hears how close to panic Misaki is. She reaches out, holds a hand while the phone rings - hopes that Jin will pick up.


	25. 〖Fragile〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (of a person) not strong or sturdy; delicate and vulnerable.

He’d picked up a tail.

Certainly, Jin was aware that with how much he was poking his nose into Yoichi’s affairs, the man would eventually start poking back. That said, he’d thought he’d at least have another  _ day _ . And to this extent? Even when he’d been doing some of the most  _ boring _ shit available - like paying his rent - someone was following him.

Jin rubs the bridge of his nose, annoyed. At least, on the bright side, he’d been able to avoid the tail long enough to drop the credit card at Misaki’s.

It takes a bit of tricky maneuvering in the parking garage for him to actually  _ see _ who it was, however. Yoichi’s goons had definitely stepped up their game. Not good enough, of course, but decently. He’d commend Yoichi on at least  _ trying _ .

Jin’s hands close around his phone when it starts to ring, and he answers, halfway through reading a label. Tucking it between his shoulder and ear, he speaks.

“Lo. Jin Wong,” he greets, distracted by the box of tea in his hands. He’d promised Misaki to get her some, and well, he had time while Max and Alan properly filled in Akira, so why not? Plus, it’d been thirty minutes already and the guy was starting to get bored to tears, he’d bet. There was only so many types of tea in this shop -  _ he _ was getting bored.

“ _ Jin? Great, hold on a second, okay? _ ” Alicia’s voice shakes a little, and he blinks, concern rippling along his thoughts. He can hear the rustle of fabric, and then the shaky breathing of Misaki on the other end. Tea forgotten, Jin puts it back without actually looking at where it had gone, walks out of the shop. The abrupt change from the routine he’d been trying to bore the man with leaves his tail scrambling.

It takes Jin longer than he’d have liked, to dodge his increasingly unsubtle spy and get to a place where he can keep an eye out for eavesdroppers.

“Misaki?” Jin asks her softly, listens to her stuttered breaths. “Misaki, sweetheart, talk to me.”

_ “I’m sorry...” _ she sobs softly, breaks his heart that she feels the need to apologize to him. “ _ It just came out of nowhere - I can’t…  _ ”

She was fracturing. Jin leans against the wall, takes a deep breath. She knows what he’s doing thirty seconds into it, begins to breathe along with him, her harsh gasps coming in less and less. He murmurs encouragement, tries to ease her into relaxing, into talking to him. She responds, slow and stuttered and worried all at once. He can feel it, how scared she is, and curses himself for not thinking to have his damn Legatus on hand. Arm knew how to calm her down from their shared time together.

“Misaki, do you want me there?” Jin asks her. “Would that help?” The question is gentle, and Misaki falls quiet save for her breathing.

“ _ I’m sorry, _ ” she whispers. He knows that’s a yes, doesn’t scold her for her hesitance. “ _ I’m sorry, please forgive me- _ ” Jin can feel her panic creeping up, cuts her off.

“ _ Misaki. _ ” Jin keeps his tone just sharp enough to make it clear that Misaki didn’t need to do this to herself, but firm enough that it would cut her off. It was a delicate balance, but it worked - she stopped. “Where are you?” She hesitates, and annoyance bubbles up in his thoughts. “Don’t make me repeat myself,” he scolds her, Jin’s tone growing just the faintest bit cold.

He steps out of his hiding place, striding towards his motorbike without even the pretense of hiding. His watcher seems to have realized he was being a tool - had moved away to a distance Jin couldn’t see him. That or the goon had been changed out for a smarter one.

“ _ We’re at the mall in Zone 16, _ ” Misaki whispers at last.

Jin knows the one - it’s a bit expensive for the outfit he’s wearing, but he doesn’t care - he can get away with his clothes. She’d wanted a bit of time before she had to pretend she was the girl in the profile, but yet again, this timeline was fucking with poor Misaki. He growls a few unsavory things under his breath, before sighing.

“I expect to see you and Alicia there in fifteen - and I  _ expect _ that you’ll be ready to doll up for me,” Jin tells her. Misaki’s breath hitches.

“ _ Jin? _ ” Misaki sounds hesitant, and he gives a twisted smile. Smart girl. She’d caught his tone of voice easily, and while he hates how she is forced to continue, to sideline her emotions, it’s necessary.

“You heard me darling.” The pet name does not catch her entirely by surprise, but he can hear how her breath hitches again, this time in a startled sort of happiness. “Oh, and Misaki - something to focus on,” he tells her, feels her settle at his words despite the distance. “Three pet names that you can live with me calling you on the job so I don’t have to use your name. I’ll give you three you can call me when we meet up.”

“ _ Okay, _ ” She sounds happy, and it makes him smile in fondness. “ _ Jin? _ ” Her tone is hesitant again, and he hums acknowledgement, straddles his bike. “ _ Thank you. _ ” She says.

Jin chuckles softly at her. “Always sweetheart. We’re a team, you and I.”

He hangs up on her happy laugh, puts his phone away before gunning into high gear. It had finally hit her, the enormity of what she was doing, the terror that she must have been pushing back. It was tough, undercover work. But the costs of it, the risks of what it could do to their relationship… In a way, he knew it was coming - Misaki would never break on the mission, but this was cutting it  _ close. _ They were already lying twice - this was merely the third level in a series of lies, stacking them higher upon their shoulders, another burden to hide.

Jin pulls up to a stop, and he sees them before either of them see him. His breath catches.

Misaki had always been a pretty girl, and Jin was aware enough of her in such a context to consider her lovely. But she was certainly pulling out the stops today. He can see Alicia’s touch in the gold top, the stylish beret that is on her head. The clothing is definitely Alicia’s, but in a way that it  _ fits _ Misaki. He walks up, allows himself to admire her.

After a moment, he recalls his tail, spots a flicker of movement in the reflection of the cars around them.

Jin thinks on the profile Alan had made for him, recalls the details, the actions, behaviors. The twisted, warped mirror that made him  _ Jin Wong _ , wrapped around his shoulders like a jacket. It  _ burns _ , like stretching a fresh scar, but that’s to be expected. Jin breathes out calmly, and  _ sinks _ .

_ Filthy Chankoro Wong _ wakes up, cups a hand against Misaki’s cheek. His thumb slides over the skin, tilts her head up with a benign smile meant for her. Nearby, Alicia has stepped back, startled by the sudden change. He flicks his gaze to her, and the slick mask slides free, enough that Alicia relaxes.

“Take my bike,” he tells her pleasantly. “If I’m going to spoil my girl, might as well do it myself - make sure it’s done right.” He smiles at her again, and there’s something vaguely threatening in it.

Alicia catches the keys when they’re thrown at her, gives him hers and his card back. Alicia’s gaze switches to Misaki, who hasn’t looked away from him once. Understanding dawns, and she jabs a finger into his chest. He raises an unimpressed eyebrow.

“You be careful with her,” she says fiercely, and Jin smiles without humor.

“She’s my priority,” Jin says with sincerity, and Alicia nods, walks away without a second glance. Misaki smiles up at him, and he smiles wryly back.

“Babydoll,” she says, steps closer as though challenging him. He can see the frantic panic in her gaze, firms his grip on her so she can relax. “Treasure.”

She sighs into his hand, closes her eyes contently. He knows a coping mechanism when he sees it, can feel her settling into mission-ready status at the beat of a heart. When she opens her eyes, there’s something in them that’s dark; feral, even. Misaki’s profile fits a violent young woman who wants someone to coddle her, even if she can do her own punching out. He leans in, kisses her forehead to the sound of her half-purr. The carefully-leashed monster is let go, and a pretty smile blooms over her lips, easy as breathing.

“Imp,” she giggles.

They’re unusual nicknames, to be sure. None of them are words he would use in regular conversation with her - certainly, she  _ was _ a treasure, but would he call her something like that as a nickname? No - definitely not. He leans in, smiles. He pushes back the mask, long enough for him to give her his three words of choice.

“Casanova,” he teases her with the word, gets a sweet giggle from her lips. “Babe, Darlin’.” The accent rolls off his tongue, and Misaki hums, low and content.

That’s the problem, he thinks as the mask, the echo of him settles around his shoulders like a blanket once more. Their covers are close to the truth - almost  _ too _ close. His anger, her frustration - they make the cover more real than it needs to be.

But Yoichi  _ will _ figure it out if they’re any less real. It’s not like he can’t see their distant watcher, trying to be unobtrusive.

Misaki drowns in her cover, brings it to the forefront like a tidal wave, her body shifting in cocky grace. There’s a mischievous glint that covers the monster of her cover, and he tilts her head up, brushes a kiss over her nose. She giggles again, slotting into the skin of herself as easily as swapping Legions had once been. Howard places a hand against his chest, and Wong  _ smiles _ at her, all feral pleasure.

“Come  _ on, _ babe,” her tone lilts lightly, a teasing play to the words. Wong grins back at her, pulls on the end of her shirt as she removes herself from his immediate personal space. “You promised to let me get all dolled up. How’s a girl gonna go out in style if she’s working a rookie cop’s salary?” she complains, and Wong smirks, thumb tracing the space under her top.

“You don’t.” Wong’s deadpan is almost lightly teasing, and she pouts up at him. “That’s where your oh-so-generous boyfriend steps in.” Wong’s voice drops, hand sliding possessively around a waist to pull her back in. “Someone’s gotta keep my treasure looking her best.” Wong hums softly, circling his fingers over her back. “And we’ll start by getting you into something else.” He growls the words into her ear. “I don’t like the look of you in someone else’s shit. March.” 

She laughs, bubbly and bright.

Wong and Howard are a pair to be reckoned with. It’s a mirror of what they are -  _ who _ they are - tilted sideways so everything showed up  _ wrong. _ She laughs and teases, and Wong  _ lets _ his treasure - to a point. She crosses a line for the first time in the lingerie store, complains about Wong’s choice of color for her in a pretty, skimpy thing that would have  _ Jin _ (not Wong) blushing. He lets her think that it’s slid past his radar.

Of course, it doesn’t.

His hand cups her chin again, and he’s careful not to squeeze, but she freezes all the same. His thumb traces over her lips, and she exhales a shaky breath.

“You know better,” Wong chides affectionately, and she closes her eyes, bows her head in apology. His grip tightens in slight warning, pulls her close. “You are  _ mine _ , babydoll,” Wong hisses possessively, gaze narrowed. “That means you will wear whatever color  _ I _ want my girl in, understood?” She shivers softly, nods. That’s not good enough, and Wong shakes Howard, eyes narrowing. “ _ Say _ it,” he growls. She shrinks back, appropriately cowed by his possessive nature.

“I understand,” Howard sounds a little sullen, but she steps back, obediently takes the pretty, purple-colored clothing and puts it in the basket. Before Howard can get too far away, he yanks her back into his arms, runs a possessive hand up the side of her body.

“So mouthy, but so  _ pretty, _ ” Wong purrs, tilts her head up to kiss her nose. “I know you can do better, I’ve  _ seen _ you do better.” Howard nods, all eager nervousness and desire to please. “I’ll train you up right.” She flushes, and Wong lowers his mouth to just above hers. He stops, and Jin flickers, uncertainty hidden by the shade of his hair and glasses. Misaki’s eyes are softer with sympathy, but the kiss is all  _ Howard _ \- as possessive as it is affectionate, and he returns it. Howard gives a soft whine when Wong lets her go, crooked smirk on his face.

“I’ll do better,” Howard promises him meekly, and he kisses a temple.

“You better,” he says, lets her go. He catches a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. Howard hums, and he knows she is aware of their tail.

It’s a learning experience, to go on the fly the way they are. Howard is so much like Misaki it  _ aches _ \- as though Jin has bypassed all the sharp, deadly edges only to be surprised by a knife in the ribs. From store to store, Wong grooms Howard, molds her to their goal. It doesn’t take long - she falls into the role with spectacular aplomb, laughter and teasing smiles, the occasional pout of soft lips when things didn’t go her way. When she was being  _ particularly _ distracting, Jin can catch glimpses of other figures, hovering in a way they thought was subtle.

(He can tell they’re ogling, and that makes the possessiveness of both him and his cover rear up)

Wong in return is coolly affectionate, willing to spend all the money in the world for her, but turns suddenly cold and cruel, his lips curled into a perpetual, mocking smile when she fails to meet his expectations. Howard always shrinks in on herself, tiny apologies and kisses to the corner of his mouth, and Wong accepts, turns those little pecks into proper kisses to show her she is forgiven. It makes her pliant, happy, and he can mold her further to his needs.

He leaves her to enjoy her spa day, digging through his phone as he takes a comfortable seat. He looks up suddenly, grins. The goon looks like a deer in the headlights, eyes wide. He dials a familiar number, keeping his hapless goon pinned by the force of his gaze alone; the man on the other line picks up in a heartbeat.

“Tch. Could you be any more  _ obvious _ you piece of shit?” He scolds the man on the other end of the line. “I finally get a proper day out with my girl, and you butt your ugly mug in?” The words are rough, and he buries himself under  _ Wong _ .

A laugh comes from the other end. “ _ You poke your nose into my buisness and you fucking expect- _ ”

Wong cuts him off, ignoring politeness. “Your fucking druggies were on  _ my _ fucking turf. Hermits going after  _ my _ subordinates? Trying to go after  _ my _ girl? Getting your morons in the police academy?” He cuts the words sharply - shuts Yoichi up quick. “That’s my turf you jumped without  _ my _ permission, bastard. You’re lucky that I haven’t just shot you and taken over.”

“ _ You think that threat scares me? _ ” Yoichi’s voice is a dark chuckle.

“Oh? And who protects you? You think that little ARI scientist that fed you the formula will protect you when he finds out you’re turning it into a street-drug? Or did you get it from Kyle Merkulov?” Wong leans back, smirks when the line fills with stunned silence. “You know I’m a cop - you think I can’t bring the full force of the police down on you? Do you  _ want _ that? I’m  _ happy _ to oblige, you piece of shit.”

“ _ You don’t play fair, Wong, _ ” the man grumbles on the other end. “ _ Fucking cop. _ ” Wong ignores that, taps a foot against the ground, waits for the inevitable. “ _ What do you want? _ ”

Wong grins wider, laughs. “Oh, I have an idea...”


	26. 〖Spent〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> having no power or energy left.

Misaki’s back slams into one of the apartment walls the moment he closes the door. Jin doesn’t follow her example, but he draws closer to her, cradles her in his arms, feels her shake violently. He was paying his price now, he thinks bitterly, Misaki’s sudden sobs filling the air.

She’d slid into mission ready mode the moment he’d tipped her off, coaxed her into her cover even though she was falling apart inside. Had she enjoyed at least a little of it? He doubts it. Even the time getting pampered with the best Jin could get hadn’t done anything for her nerves, clearly hyper aware that any moment could be recorded.. Jin rubs her back, lets her sob her heart out against his shoulder, the fabric of his clothes turning damp with her tears.

_ Fucking _ Yoichi. He wishes he could curse the man out, place the blame at his feet, but that’s really not the case.

He could have pushed it off -  _ he _ could have called the entire mission off. But he hadn’t, because he’d known that Misaki would never stop blaming herself if her breakdown caused the mission to be dead in the water.

That didn’t stop the guilt, and he murmurs meaningless nothings, cradles her in his arms and tries to comfort her. His mouth plants delicate kisses on the top of her head, and he soothes her as best as he can. She’s splintering at all her edges, pushed too far and too fast. Misaki  _ needs _ to unwind, to be kept safe, away from the pressure that had slowly but steadily been mounting upon her frail shoulders. Her lips press soft against his shoulder, body shuddering. Jin doesn’t move Misaki, doesn’t let  _ her _ move, keeps her face pressed against his chest, offers her what little he can.

Her sobs dim to hiccups, strung out and trembling. Jin lifts her up; carries her to his room and digs through the drawers, pulls out his largest sweatshirt available. Jin tosses it on the bed, rocking Misaki gently in his arms, offers her more quiet platitudes. He takes a seat on his bed, leaning back and feeling Misaki join him, her trembling easing as he strokes her hair down.

Huh. He hadn’t noticed, but her hair had gotten longer. Her once clean bob-cut had grown an inch or two, and Jin curiously wonders if she’d cut it the last time she’d become a Legionis - for the life of him he couldn’t remember it being out of the pristine cut she had worn back then.

Jin brings her close, buries his nose in the softness of her thick, fluffy hair. Misaki sniffles softly, easing into his touch, the implicit, unconditional comfort he wanted her to feel. When her trembling has eased, he talks.

“You’re going to take a shower,” Jin tells her firmly. “Hot as you can stand. After that, you’ll sit here, and I’ll take one. We can curl up on the couch, watch bad movies, or just sit and cuddle. Sound good?” Misaki gives a muffled squeak of agreement. “Good. Now go on sweetheart. I pulled out a sweatshirt for you,” he tells her, and she buries her head against his shoulder, cuddling him for a moment longer before she gets up, snagging the oversized sweatshirt on her way. The door slams shut behind her, and Jin sighs, runs his fingers through his hair. He stands up, mourns the warmth of Misaki as he digs through his clothes and pulls out an oversized pair of sleep pants for himself.

Jin grimaces, dialing a familiar number - better to get it done sooner rather than later, Jin reasons, pulling off the tear-damp shirt and dumping it in his laundry.

Max picks up on the third ring, his voice like thunder as he greets Jin. “_Where’s my_ _daughter_, Wong.”

Jin winces internally. Great. Bear mode. “She’s taking a shower.” He says the words bluntly. “I thought I’d call, let you know she’s not coming in to work tomorrow, and neither is Akira.” Max takes a sharp breath. “They’re staying in my apartment tomorrow, the both of them. Misaki needs a lot of comfort, and I’ve got to go introduce King to Yoichi tomorrow. You can join if you want, but Misaki needs the downtime,  _ and _ her little brother.” He keeps his tone even, hearing the water shut off in the shower.

“... Alicia said she wasn’t doing too good. How is she really?” Jin can hear the way Max chooses to let it slide.

“Shattered. I think everything caught up to her all at once.” Misaki pads out of the bathroom, delicate feet bare on the plush carpet. Her hair is mostly dry, the strands brushing her shoulders. She gives him a small smile, and he grins back at her, reaches an arm out for a hug that she practically tackles him for. “You up to speaking with your old man?” Jin asks, and she reaches an arm up, a mixture of delight and hope in her expression. He chuckles, allows her to take the phone from his grip. He pats her shoulder, before heading off for his own shower. She immediately pelts her father with soft, frightened Japanese, and he can just hear Max respond, his own Japanese a little rusty, but still enough for her to relax, comforted by his words.

He ducks into the shower, scrubbing at his hair fiercely. His shower is short by necessity - he doesn’t want Misaki to be left alone for too long.

Not for the first time that day, he curses the lack of his Arm Legion. He towels off once he’s done, and catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It startles him, the difference. He’d thought Misaki’s hair had gotten longer, but he hadn’t realized his  _ own _ had grown too. He runs a hand through his hair, a faint frown on his face. He didn’t shave often, but there was a bit more stubble there than he was used to, and with a quick mutter of annoyance, he sets to shaving. It’s not a close shave - he’d done that once and everyone had teased him for weeks about his baby face.

When he’s done, he washes his sink clean and steps out to see Misaki quietly exchanging affectionate goodbyes with her father. He smiles at her, and she smiles back, says a final goodbye before hanging up and handing the phone to him. He closes it up without another thought, stuffing it in the pocket of his sleep pants without even thinking of it.

“Thank you,” Misaki tells him, and Jin runs his fingers through her hair quickly, smiles back.

“Always.” Jin ushers her into the living room, collects his favorite blanket and makes sure to drape it over her. “Now, do you want bad movies and icecream? Or the other option?”

Misaki blinks up at him, and he can feel how she trembles a little. “Just the cuddling, please,” she whispers. “I need to forget that you’re not  _ him _ .”

Jin internally winces, and he easily accepts her words, joins her on the couch and pulls her to his chest, laying down on the couch. A bit of manipulation, and Jin can fit the blanket over them both, cups the back of her head. He hums a lullaby, comforts her with delicate touch and even more careful words. He’s so very aware of how she feels against him, the bird-quick flutter of her heart against his chest.

Jin closes his eyes. Having her here, pressed against him… it was making things so much  _ harder _ . Misaki  _ fit _ against him, a soft, near-perfect slot against his body. He tugs a little, and she melts happily, a kittenish purr leaving her throat. Part of him wails, the childish side of himself he didn’t dare reveal to anyone.

_ It’s not fair… _

Even if he’d wanted, and  _ oh _ did he want, he couldn’t dare. It was bad enough he and Misaki were in the same division. It was  _ worse _ that she was his subordinate. But she was his Captain’s  _ daughter _ .

It was twisted, an awful mirror of what Jin had fleetingly wished for, this assignment. He presses a kiss against her forehead, cradles her to himself, and bitterly wishes that he hadn’t had to make her do this. His mind whirrs, calculates probabilities and solutions. It doesn’t take long before Jin feels Misaki nudge up under his neck, her warm breath blowing over his skin. After a moment, he realizes she’s asleep, curled around him like he’s a teddy bear. He ghosts a chuckle, kisses the top of her head and feels her purr deeply against his skin.

He falls asleep, holding her.

He wakes long before Misaki does, his brain abuzz with ideas. He’s not looking forward to the meeting, and his hand strokes down her hair, the thick locks tousled from her restlessness over the night. She wakes after he tries to move, gives a sleepy, annoyed whine at him for daring to shift her comfortable position. She really is fucking adorable.

“Wake up sleepy-head,” Jin teases her gently, gets another whine. Her eyes are still shut, and she futilely buries her head in his chest, whining at him more. He sits up, takes care to keep the blanket wrapped around her. Her protests only get louder the more he tries to escape her affectionate grasp.

They both freeze when she brushes against him in a  _ far _ more intimate manner than either had anticipated. Jin’s face flushes, and he can feel the burn of her skin as she realizes what she’s done. She looks up, sheepish embarrassment on her face, and Jin only  _ just _ manages to meet her eyes, his cheeks reddening at the unexpected contact.

“C’mon,” he murmurs after a moment, his hand stroking her hair down. “You need to get dressed. Akira’s coming by soon.”

She makes an apologetic noise, her embarrassment obvious, but concedes with a quick kiss under his jaw, pulling herself free and scampering off to get changed. Jin flops back against the cushions, face red. He pulls a couch cushion to cover his face and  _ screams _ into it, before neatly putting it back and getting up to go out. He digs out his phone, and answers any messages, stopping at the last one from Akira.

**[AMS] Akira H.: Jin, I’ll be coming by around eight. Alan said that he’d meet up with you around noon?**

**[AMS] Akria H.: I’m picking up breakfast. I hope you guys don’t mind that I went with scrambled eggs. Sunny side never seem to taste good reheated.**

Jin chuckles at the concern and care that bleeds through the screen, toggles the options on his phone and going straight for a call instead. Akira picks up nearly immediately, a relieved sigh in his voice.

“ _ You have the world’s greatest timing - I’m outside your door. Got the address from Dad last night. _ ” Akira says, and Jin chuckles, hangs up as he walks to the door, opens it. Akira has three large boxes piled up, and he steps aside, allows Akira in. A buzz fills his body, and he can hear the faint, insistent knocking inside of his mind.

_ Jinfriend! Jinfriend-tired? _

That was new… He snags his Legatus from Akira’s side, and the boy gives a surprised little yelp.

_ JINFRIEND. _

The words clobber him like a two-by-four over the skull, but he grins, feels relief at having his partner. The warmth of the enclosed connection fills him, and he ruffles Akira’s hair when the boy glares at him for taking the Legatus without permission.

“Thanks for that,” Jin tells the boy, and Akira relaxes, his annoyance fading at the realization of what he’d done. “My Legion was getting cranky was al,.” he teases his partner, feels the indignance.

_ Missed-Jinfriend-missed-you! _ It huffs, winding around him.  _ Miss-Jinfriend-less. Mean-Jinfriend. _ Jin chuckles, can feel the clinginess, and after helping Akira put breakfast on the table, he summons his partner in the empty space of his living room.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes sincerely, pats the top of his head. “I can’t help teasing you a little is all.” It gives a whine of annoyance at him, and he strokes the top of it’s head fondly, plants a quick kiss on the top of his partner’s head. It vibrates happily, chirps a few times to let him know he was forgiven.

_ Jinfriend-forgiven. Nomore-teasingmean. _ Jin chuckles softly in affection, plants a soft kiss to it’s crown. It chirps hopefully, and he does it again, gets a chirruped purr.  _ Jinfriend-best-partnerbest-Legionis. _

Jin chuckles, pleased by the happiness exhibited, and makes sure to spoil his partner with a few more scratches and pets. “You’re a sweetheart - don’t worry, I still adore you just as much,” Jin says fondly, feels the purr as his partner dismisses itself.

_ Jinfriend-best, _ is all he gets, and Jin chuckles fondly, tucks his Legatus away. It’s far too bulky for his tastes, so he’s going to have to work on it in his spare time. Misaki pokes her head around the corner, and upon seeing her twin, she brightens immediately, scurrying over to tackle her little brother in a tight hug. Akira squeaks, but happily cradles his sister in his arms, nuzzling his face against hers and grinning big and wide in a way only a pleased sibling could.

“Sis!” Akira cannot understate his obvious delight and affection, cradles her in his arms. Jin watches them indulgently, allows himself a few moments peace before he has to head out with Alan. Jin walks up, and he curiously catches some of Akira’s hair between his fingers. Akira lets him, more out of curiosity than any other reason.

“You need to cut your hair if you want to keep that style,” Jin says fondly, and Misaki checks her own hair. He bends down, plants a gentle kiss on both of their heads. “I have to head out. You two have fun, relax, and Akira.” He turns stern, and the boy immediately goes to attention. Jin smiles, and tucks a stray strand of hair out of Akira’s face. “Please make sure your big sister isn’t allowed to stress herself okay? She’s got a tough job and I don’t want her to make herself ill.”

Akira bobs his head rapidly, wraps his sister in a hug. “Yessir! My sister will probably be tickled half to death, but it’ll be done!” Misaki gives a displeased glare at that, but Akira grins wryly back, obviously teasing. “Ow! Sis, your nails are  _ sharp! _ ” He yelps, and Jin chuckles, entertained by their behavior. Misaki detangles from her brother, hesitates. She looks small and shy, and Jin watches her, concerned, before she flings her arms around him in a hug.

“Be careful,” she whispers, holding him tight, and he squeezes back hard, doesn’t let go.

“I will,” he tells her quietly in return, before letting her go, smiles down at her. “You two enjoy your day. I’ll be out of here in another ten minutes.” He tells them, and heads for his bedroom. He wants to stay - at least for breakfast, but knows if he sits down with them, he won’t want to leave.


	27. 〖Ruthless〗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> having or showing no pity or compassion for others.

“Once we’re inside, unless I give you explicit permission, you don’t  _ say one damn word _ , you hear me? And don’t use your IRIS. I want any surprise you give to be genuine,” Jin reminds Alan. The younger man blinks before nodding frantically at his sudden change in character. Jin takes a breath, fortifies himself. A buzz from his phone, and he recognizes Misaki’s number. He can’t help but soften at the sight of it. He opens the contents, and it takes every ounce of willpower not to blush.

The photos were  _ racy _ \- enough so that any other time he would frantically  _ hide _ them. There’s only a single, very short note.

**[AMS] Treasure: For your phone background.**

He nearly slaps himself. There Misaki went, helping him even though she shouldn’t have. Precious girl, he thinks, saving one of the photos to his phone background. He leaves the lock screen as a plain, by the book screenshot of the Neuron HQ Logo, but Wong really was the kind of man to have a photo of his treasure stripped to barely there underwear as a background. He chuckles slightly at the sight of it.

“Sir?” Alan’s voice is tentative, and he looks up, annoyed. It’s then he realizes - they’ve arrived, and Jin needs to put his game face on. He sighs, looks down at his phone again, before tucking it away.

“Don’t worry about me, King,”  _ Wong _ says, slipping his cover on like a second skin. King visibly jumps, a little pale. He quickly recalls the details of Alan’s cover, reciting it internally.

_ Specialist King is unsure of his place in Wong’s society, and leans towards meek and obedient while in his presence. Liable to be sharp-tongued and snarky to anyone who isn’t part of Wong’s crew, King is quick to shut his mouth and make himself scarce if he believes that he’s angered his commanding officer. While Wong is grooming him to manage his information network, King craves more power than the dribbles Specialist Wong has been feeding him, but knows better than to bite the hand that feeds him. Despite that, his loyalty is strong to fellow officers, and even with the prospect of a big payday, he would not willingly antagonize Wong or his girlfriend. _

King wouldn’t dare defy him, Wong thinks with a satisfied purr as he sinks deeper into his cover, taking what was unnecessary and tucking it behind his teeth like a cage. When he speaks, it’s much lower, rougher. There’s an almost cruel edge of glee in it, and King flinches when he hears it.

“You just keep your eyes on the prize, you hear?” The slide of his accent over his tongue feels  _ good _ . Wong allows a lazy, predatory grin to cross over his lips, gaze turning toward King. As expected (wanted) King flinches at the sight of his eyes. “Yoichi’s a bitch, but he’s one  _ I _ can control.” He doesn’t wait for King’s stuttered response, gets out of the car. “C’mon King. I want you to watch.”

King scurries out of the car, locks it and tucks his keys away. More than one face reflects shock upon recognizing him, and he turns a cruel, almost teasing smile upon those that stutter greetings, King on his heels like a puppy. Those that don’t recognize him are quick to try to fuck with him as he heads towards Yoichi’s hiding spot. (Tch. No creativity. The moron really did take his old hideout and use it for himself.)

It gets to the point that Wong quickly becomes  _ bored _ of the lousy attempts to steal his things, though he only truly retaliates when one of them is fool enough to touch his Legatus. That particular sneering idiot is smashed headfirst into a wall.

“Anyone  _ else _ want to touch shit that’s not theirs?” Wong snarls, annoyance on his features. One looks like he might, but an old acquaintance quickly yanks him back; hisses a warning into his ears that has him pale and back away. Wong glares at them, and slowly, they shuffle out of his way. The rest of the walk is in peace, and Jin makes notes of the upgrades, the cable connections, and the hideaways that are tucked into every nook and cranny of the halls.

Upon seeing Yoichi’s choice of ‘meeting room’, Wong gives a derisive snort. The sound echoes, and King jumps at the sudden noise. Yoichi had chosen a club to disguise his hideout, a fact he was showing off with his ‘meeting room’. In the daylight, the room was second-rate at best. Chairs that looked sleek under strobe lights looked grimy under sunlight, and decorative tiles appeared plastic instead of clean glass. Yoichi could have sprung for better, Wong thinks acerbically.

“Opulence always has been your style, Aoba.” Wong says the words mockingly, gesturing for King to come closer. “Couldn’t you be a little less fucking obvious what you’re trying to do here?” He doesn’t care if it annoys Yoichi - the insecure prick deserved whaver mockery Wong made.

“You have no respect for your superiors, as always,” Yoichi says with annoyance. Wong tilts his head to a side, blinking lightly at the idea that this man was even slightly his better.

“ _ Excuse me? _ ” Wong says the words with a smile, but there’s no mistaking the danger in his tone. “You want to  _ try that one again? _ ” He allows the edge of annoyance into his tone, nearly snarling the words. There’s silence, and Wong can hear Yoichi swallow in the still air. “Because if I heard you correctly, you’re fucking with the man who has your  _ livelihood _ in his fingertips.” Wong stalks closer; can feel people scrambling to get out of his way. Under his skin, his partner snarls, pushing his aura out to intimidate. Yoichi presses back against his seat, pale even under his tan, but still not backing down.

“I meant what I said,” Yoichi says the words with an arrogant smirk; eyes Wong as though he was going to pull a knife on him. “I have a reputation to maintain here.”

As if called, the room fills with several of the hapless morons from earlier, their ilk lining the walls like an unsightly bruise. Wong chuckles softly,  _ dangerously _ , as he takes them in. His Legion purrs under his skin, excitement humming along the bond. He considers them, tilts his head to a side as they sneer at him, braver in a group than alone. Wong considers his options, before he snickers.

His foot lashes out, aided by his Legion’s power to slide King - and the sofa he was on - all the way to the wall of the club. He uses his foot, then, to flip the table over Yoichi’s head, making him flinch. The idiots converge on him in the next moment, and Wong strikes out, aided by his Legion to strike hard, fast, and with more than a little prejudice. The chain pulses slightly, but he doesn’t let his partner free as of yet. He leads them away from King, and grins.

Even without an X-Baton, he could damn well make them suffer. He plants a foot on the chest of one, launches them back with a push, catching the shoulder of another and sending that one sprawling. Just like when he was fighting in the Astral Plane, the moves set his heartbeat to a fast-paced kick, laughter racing through his lungs and filling his pulse with excitement.

They’re so  _ weak _ . It’d be easy to crush them all under his heel.

Jin comes back in then, reels Wong in, just a little. There’s no need to kill them - Yoichi would never accept them then; he’d send killers night and day after Wong, and that’s not worth the effort. His Legion is disappointed, and the thing that is  _ Wong _ snarls in displeasure, but this can’t be overridden.

Instead, he pulls his Legion’s power to the fore, coaxing them closer to knock them all to the ground with a blast of gravity-enhanced strength. It craters impressively, and his Legion purrs in satisfaction, even though they were a little annoyed at being denied the bloody satisfaction of an enemy destroyed.

Under his skin, his partner snarls in annoyance, pushing his aura out to intimidate any idiot still conscious. Yoichi presses back against his seat, sheet white despite his tan.

“I’ll let it slide this time.” Wong smiles in polite condescension, dusts himself off while Yoichi stares wildly at the downed goons. “But you need to watch yourself around me. It’s bad enough you thought you could sneak your big project behind my back without my notice.” He takes a comfortable seat after replacing what he’d moved in the fight, while King sits nearby, wide-eyed at his lack of reverence. (Or perhaps the battle itself.)

“The fact that your idiots almost cost  _ my _ girl her academic and athletic position at the top?” His gaze narrows. “That is  _ unforgivable _ .” He slams a boot on top of the table, follows it up with the other one as he curls a sneer in the man’s direction. Yoichi doesn’t cower, but it’s a near thing. “ _ You have no idea _ just how much trouble you caused me and my girl.” His eyes narrow behind his glasses. It takes a moment, but Yoichi plucks up his courage, defiant. Wong chuckles darkly, amused.

“I only agreed to meet with you, Jin. Not your other bit on the side,” Yoichi says without a waver in his voice, clearly trying to get back in control despite his earlier loss.

Wong tilts his head to a side, before sliding a considering look King’s way. The boy looks indignant at being considered a  _ bit _ on the side, and Wong snaps his fingers. King straightens, head immediately ducking into subservience. He smiles, deeply pleased and the monster of him  _ purrs _ at the sight. It takes a long moment before Wong moves, striking faster than Yoichi’s remaining men could react to wrap his fingers around a slim throat. Yoichi chokes, and it’s only the knowledge of what Wong could do that stays the hands of the guards.

“You have a habit of  _ annoying _ me, Aoba.” He smiles coldly at the shaking man, squeezes the flesh in his grasp before letting go. Yoichi gasps for air, scrambling back from him as he comfortably stays on the table, hands over his knees. Wong grins again, and this time it’s far more predatory. King clears his throat, small and meek. He tilts his head to a side, acknowledging without words.

“We were talking about compensating your girl?” King prompts, and Wong tips himself back, neatly tumbling into his seat. He gives the boy a smile, reaching out to stroke back messy hair. King’s eyes are wide and a little frightened.

“You’re very right,” Wong smiles softly, patting his hair into a semblance of order. King relaxes immediately at his touch, becoming comfortable - or at least, as comfortable as he ever was - in Wong’s presence. “My girl needs to be compensated.” He retakes his comfortable position, propping his feet back up on the table. “She wasn’t best pleased that she almost lost her top spot to some drug-running junkies.” He considers Yoichi with a smile cold and a little bit frightening. Wong bares his teeth, a cruel grin on his face. “I don’t  _ like _ when my girl isn’t happy. I  _ hate _ having to make sure that she’s comfortable and settled when  _ I _ don’t need to. You think shopping sprees like the one I indulged in for her are fucking  _ cheap? _ I planned on spoiling my girl when she was in a good mood, but thanks to your dumb asses, I spent twice as much as I would normally.”

Misaki  _ had _ been confused about the later half of their trip, but he’d managed to coax her into it, and she’d played her bratty side for all it was worth at that point, which had necessitated more than one  _ discipline _ session in public. He lets a smile touch his lips at the reminder.

King looks like he wants to speak, but he refrains, ducking his head and playing with his fingers. Wong reaches out, breaks that little habit with a quick flick of his hand.

Yoichi  _ clearly _ wanted to retaliate, but one look into his eyes changed his mind on the spot. Wong had shown himself to be faster than common sense or human limitations would have implied, and an unnatural sense of grace - aided as always by his trusty partner - gave him a more dangerous feel. “So what do you propose, then? An even take?” Yoichi sneers the words, only just shy of polite. Wong considers him.

“No.” Wong allows him to relax before he springs the trap. “But a split of the take from when my girl started the academy would be enough, I suppose. Thirty percent should comfort her immensely.”

Yoichi wouldn’t stand for that, and immediately the man jumps to his feet, face red with fury.

_ Now, dearheart. _ He thinks the words, and his Legion barrels out without warning to pin Yoichi against the couch. Yoichi’s eyes go wide with fear, and Wong purrs within his mind. What a  _ delight _ . King flinches away, much like a frightened rabbit. Wong reaches out, settles him with a gentle fingertip to the back of his neck, cradling his head. King melts at the treatment, and Wong smiles lightly, pulls his fingers away. He lets the discomforting situation linger for a moment longer, before giving Yoichi an arch look.

“You don’t learn, do you?” Wong sighs softly, settles his body comfortably and allows his Legion to re-leash itself. He tilts his head to the side, tells King, “It’s like whipping an animal - it’s so  _ dumb _ , but enough pain and it learns.” He chuckles darkly. “Don’t forget whose  _ mercy _ you’re living on.” Wong smiles, expression as cold as ice. “You’re testing my patience.”

King wisely makes himself a quiet little mouse, scrunching up slightly in deference. Wong reaches out and strokes his hair to reassure him once more, gets him to relax.

“You heard me. My girl gets thirty percent from the day she started the academy. Don’t try feeding me a line - I know  _ exactly to the minute _ when you decided to distribute your little  _ drug _ to the masses.” Yoichi’s eyes go wide. “I’m being  _ generous _ with you - but if you insist, then King here can get a fifteen percent take from when I recruited him to aid me, and I’ll take ten for now, starting from when you decided to tout your little drug operation.”

Yoichi makes a move to protest, quails under his  _ look _ .

Huh. Jin (not Wong) had considered Yoichi to be a bigger potential threat. Wong would have never caved to such feats of improbability, no matter how… unusual.

He was really rather disappointed. This was his childhood boogeyman?

“You can’t think I’m going to give you that much money,” Yoichi snarls, finally rallying to his feet. Wong’s raised brow has him stuttering into silence. He shrinks back as Wong stalks closer, gleeful malice upon his face.

“I don’t think you’re going to give it to me. I am going to make you give it to me. You cost me, you piece of shit. You think bounty hunting is easy? Don’t make me laugh.” Wong hisses the words, and Yoichi shrinks back. With a satisfied smirk, Wong leans in. “Now, why don’t we talk?”

It wasn't like the man had a choice, and everyone knew it.


	28. 【Curiosity】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strong desire to know or learn something.

It’s with a refreshed air that Misaki arrives at Neuron HQ the next morning. The day with her brother had taken the edge out of the interactions with  _ Wong _ , and having her Sword nearby had been so comfortable and cozy, a reassurance that she hadn’t been able to have before. Jin had come back last night, late enough that he’d only given them some quiet greetings before stumbling off to bed. He’d looked  _ exhausted _ , and Misaki had peeked into his room to see him snoring quietly into his pillows. Just out of consideration, she’d tucked a spare blanket over him, and Akira had teased her silly about it.

She can feel more than one pair of eyes on her as she dismounts from her bike, Akira getting out of his car beside her. She’d dressed up for the occasion, and Jin had sleepily told her to just leave her stuff in the guest room - his place was bigger than her box of a room in the barracks anyways. Misaki had blushed a little at the blatant hint, and Akira had refused to stop wiggling his eyebrows at her for it.

She’d been so tempted to kick his ass on the sparring grounds, but until they figured out what was going on with his Legion and that…  _ RAVEN Protocol Replica _ thing, they were sitting tight on that information until they could sneak off to a larger hidden Hermit Base. Her heels click against the ground, and she wishes she could indulge in tugging at her clothing, instead holds her bag close, tries for a nonchalant air much like the one Jin tended to have. The eyes on her turned openly admiring, and she supposed Jin was right. She greets the maintenance team with a smile, punching the button for the main floor so she could get changed.

It wasn’t five minutes from changing into her uniform before her Captain stood before her, arms crossed.

“Yes Captain?” Misaki asks him, looks up from one of the terminal computers. (Apparently the computer she’d used in the other future had been her  _ father’s _ \- which explained the dual screens.) Max gives her an arch look, and she smiles innocently. “I’m doing my paperwork - in English, see?” She smiles at him, and Max can’t help the snort that leaves him.

“Jin wants to see you downstairs. He’s going through the Legatus Units today, installing some upgrades,” her Captain reminds her. Misaki blinks, before nodding at her father.

“Yes sir! Let me just upload this and I’ll head down with you,” she chirps, cheerfully doing so. She logs out of the terminal, and her father ruffles her hair gently.

“Remind me later to get you a computer of your own,” he tells his daughter, and Misaki beams up at him, pops up like a daisy with a salute at her fingertips.

“Yessir!” Her chirp gets a chuckle out of him, before the two head to the elevator. Max at least has the decency to wait until the doors close to smother her in a hug, Misaki giving a confused squeak.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he murmurs into her hair, and she wraps herself tight around him, squeezes the breath out of her father as best she can.

“It’s okay, Dad,” Misaki promises him, and they let go before the doors open. The first thing they hear is yelling. Her father gives her an amused wink.

“Tabitha and Jin have been at it for the last hour,” he chuckles, and she can see an amused Alicia recording it all on her phone for later.

“Ey girlie,” Alicia laughs at her, and Misaki pokes her head over Alicia’s shoulder to see Jin stripped down to just a plain shirt and pants, sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he digs through the Legatus. “Jin’s getting on Tabitha’s nerves.”

Misaki watches them before smiling. “I see he hit her neat-freak tendencies over the head - is that a disassembled Legatus on his desk?” Misaki peers over the desk, amused.

“And I’m just saying - wait no don’t -” Tabitha’s high pitched squeak of alarm is negated when Jin yanks out the collaring device with his hand, setting it aside. “Specialist Wong! Are you  _ trying _ to kill me?” Tabitha wails, an amused Ted and Hattori watching from behind her. “Please, just have a little more neatness! I’m  _ begging _ you!”

Jin looks over his shoulder at the panicking blonde, before chuckling. “I assure you, I’m being  _ very _ neat. The Legatus, unfortunately, has all sorts of wire routings and unnecessary subroutines. I’m working on modifying them right now. I know it looks messy, but I promise I’ll neaten it up.”

Tabitha glares at him, Jin watching her with a placid-seeming smile that Misaki knew from experience was anything but. “I want your word, Specialist!” Tabitha points her finger at him and for a moment, Misaki is convinced Jin is going to bite it.

“I promise you that I’m going to clean up after myself,” Jin promises solemnly, before returning to his work. “Come in you four, don’t gawp at me like guppies.” Misaki giggles a little, takes a folding chair and scoots herself over to his side, the rest of the crew assembling around him. “I’m just fixing up this one and then I’ll be able to talk to you guys about resizing the Legatus. I’m sorry, but they’re far too bulky for me to  _ want _ to keep them as is, so I thought I’d discuss it with you all about getting them remodeled. Any requests?” Misaki leans over, and Jin lets her without question, leans slightly in instead.

“Any chance you can make a jewelry bracelet? Something delicate looking?” Misaki asks hopefully. Jin chuckles at her, shakes his head.

“‘Fraid not, sweetheart. It needs to be at least the size of a Legion’s core.” He ruffles her hair, and Alicia hums knowingly, gives Misaki a  _ look _ . She flushes slightly, but doesn’t glare at her - no way she’s giving Alicia the satisfaction. Jin tilts his head back, gaze flicking to them as he smiles at her. “Anything else?” he asks them.

Max hums lightly. “Any chance I can get it as an attachment to my X-Baton?”

Jin looks thoughtful, before shrugging. “Depends - I should be able to set it into the hilt, but that’s more Tabitha’s area of expertise than my own. You’ll want to ask her.”

Tabitha perks up at the mention of her name, and Misaki smiles slightly. Tabitha bends Jin’s ear briefly, and Misaki tries to keep up - but the technobabble is… it’s way out of her depth. She isn’t the only one who looks confused - Max is equally bemused, and when Jin’s done, he grins at them.

“Yeah Captain. It’ll take some serious rework, but we can look into it.” Jin chuckles fondly at them all then. “Any others?”

Misaki blinks, before looking up. “I have a question for Tabitha about the X-Batons. Now that my brother has a fancy sniper rifle, I was hoping I could get a modification of my own.”

Tabitha blinks, before laughing. “You’re all here to keep  _ me _ busy!” She laughs again, obviously delighted. “You got a plan?”

Misaki smiles sheepishly, and she allows herself to be pulled away, sits in front of Tabitha’s desk as the woman pulls out some drafting paper. Misaki herself digs through her jacket pocket, procures her phone and offers her the schematics she’d found.

“I was thinking a bullwhip?” Misaki says hesitantly, her shoulders untensing as she hears Jin laughing at Akira’s increasingly wild suggestions. “I’ve been needing something with good reach, and I thought this might help.”

Tabitha takes her phone gently from her fingers, sizes up the schematics before humming under her breath. “It’s not my usual - and it’s small - about the same weight as a gladius, I’d guess.”

Misaki smiles awkwardly, fiddles with her hair. She can feel how it brushes her shoulder, and it eases her in an unusual way. Her hair had never truly…  _ grown _ the way it was doing now when she’d been locked in those repetitive cycles - she had been locked in a stagnant cycle and she remained in perpetual stasis - not aging, not growing, but something  _ happening _ to her all the same.

Jin’s observation had made her feel so much better about herself.

Tabitha hums, breaks her introspection. “I think it’s feasible - it won’t be as flexible as a regular whip, but a few adjustments can fix that. X-Batons aren’t designed for flex, but the material they’re made of certainly can if it’s treated right.” Tabitha smiles at Misaki, and she smiles back shyly. “Go save Jin - I think he’s ready to strangle Alicia.”

Misaki blinks, cranes her head around, before smiling shyly and excusing herself, walking over to where an exasperated Jin is trying to stop a snickering Alicia. Her dad is laughing himself silly, so whatever Alicia had said was clearly amusing.

“Do I want to know?” Misaki asks, subtly brushing her fingertips over the nape of Jin’s neck, a quiet reassurance. Jin relaxes minutely, flashes her an easy smile.

“No, not really. Akira’s already fled, can’t you see?” Jin chuckles, and Misaki realizes her twin has indeed snuck away.

She snorts, “Lucky him.” Alicia puffs up, indignant, and Max chokes on his laughter. “Any headway on a  _ decent _ idea?” Misaki asks, and Alicia gives a heartbroken wail, flops dramatically upon Max, who chuckles affectionately at her. She shares a commiserating look with Jin, who rolls his eyes in silent agreement. “I’ll take that as a no.” Misaki decides on, dryly patting Jin’s shoulder. “Get a room, would you?” she complains, ignoring Alicia’s sudden sputtering and Max’s embarrassment. “I’ll come back with a sketch of a new Legatus idea,” she tells him with a smile, and Jin smiles up at her, pleased.

“I’ll look forward to it.” Jin promises. “Now shoo. Go relax, kick your brother’s ass in the training sims or something.” Misaki snorts, but brushes her fingers over the back of his neck fondly, leaving him to Max and Alicia. She pokes her head out, spies a familiar figure huddled against the boxes. Misaki checks to see if Akira is nearby, but he’s not, so she strides over quickly, kneels in front of Shizu.

“Hello again Shizu,” Misaki injects some good cheer in her voice, and the white-haired woman eyes her in curious scrutiny. She doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, before looking at her in patient expectation.

“Hello again, Aeon.” Shizu greets her quietly, and Misaki smiles, takes a seat. “Did you want a reading?” she asks Misaki, and the girl shakes her head.

“Not today. I was looking for a good tarot shop, actually. You talk a lot about it, and I thought perhaps I could find out more on my own, maybe learn how to read cards on my downtime.”

Shizu’s head tilts, uncurling as she reaches her hand out to touch Misaki’s face. It’s not the strangest thing Shizu has ever done - though certainly, it was the first thing Shizu had ever done to her in this universe.

But Misaki allows her to, Shizu’s gloved hand caressing her face gently.

“Your interest is appreciated, Aeon,” the woman says at last, before letting her free. “But no deck in this world could read your future so long as you hold the cards. You are infinite and complex in your many futures. Even I have trouble discerning your future, and I have had many years to learn my cards in their entirety. I’m sorry, Aeon.”

Misaki nods, a little disappointed. “I’ll ask again,” Misaki tells her, and Shizu smiles, a flicker of amusement on her lips.

“I expect nothing less from the Aeon,” Shizu tells her, and she gently touches Misaki’s face once more. Misaki allows it, before standing.

“Let me know when you’re ready to try another reading,” she smiles, before turning the corner. A shriek, and Misaki jumps nearly four feet back at the sight of a familiar (welcome), but also terrifying figure.

“HEY THERE!” Lappy’s familiar friendliness is good, but her hand places itself over her heart, trying to convince her heart to stop racing. Deep within her Legatus, her Legion stirs sleepily.

_ Misakiself in need of protection? _ he asks, stirring more. Misaki sends back comforting thoughts, and a picture of Lappy scaring her. He sends back a ripple of affectionate amusement.  _ LappyMarie MarieLappy funny, _ he tells her, chuckling.

“You scared me,” she tells Lappy with a sigh, sees the trio of heads poking out. Max smoothers a snort, and Jin grins at her in pure, affectionate amusement, before ducking back into the room. “I’m sorry,” Misaki says, offers a hand out to the mascot. “You’re Lappy, right? Nice to meet you.” Misaki knew it was Marie - and really, the first time they met, in the original timeline, she’d been chasing after Lappy’s head. The Mascot shakes her hand, and she stifles a laugh.

“Nice to meetcha’, Partner!” Marie-as-Lappy chirps, and she can’t help but laugh back. “What’s bringing you down to my neck of the woods?”

Misaki giggles softly, and plants her hands on her hips. “Wellll. I might have been looking for a certain mascot. You know, I was told all about the amazing Neuron Tour and yet, Master Officer Lappy hasn’t given me one.” She crosses her arms, pretends to pout, and Lappy gives an overdone wail, sinking down like a puddle. Misaki looks at the mascot, chokes back her laugh. She knows Marie’s overdoing it, but it’s still  _ funny _ to watch.

When Lappy pops up faster than a daisy, Misaki can’t help the fond laugh that leaves her. “Well then Partner! I can’t leave you unintroduced one  _ minute _ longer!” Lappy wiggles a little, and she can’t help her giggling. “Now, lemme tell you a  _ real _ important secret!” Misaki leans in, smiling warmly.

This… This was really starting to feel like home.


	29. 【Modification】

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change made.

“You know, if I wasn’t ready to kill whatever Hermit did this, I’d be impressed.” Alan remarks, looking around another stolen Hermit base. This one was the one she’d found with Olive in the original timeline, and it had taken them a few hours to get here. It was out of the way, which made it perfect, if somewhat difficult to use on a regular basis.

“I’ll help,” Max says grouchily, giving the whole place a stink eye. Jin was still combing it with Alicia for bugs, but he’d taken the blast doors they’d tried to slam shut as a personal affront. She avoided looking at Akira, and he studiously does the same - if they did catch each other’s eyes, they’d never stop giggling about how grumpy Dad looked.

“We’re going to need new security,” Akira remarks, her twin bumping against her hip gently. “The blast doors were  _ weak _ \- I guess they thought they’d be a match for Dad. But if this supposed Kyle guy is at least as strong, this place won’t hold.”

Alan hums, before a smile curls over his lips. “Leave that to me,” he says quietly to Misaki in an aside. “X-Baton material is tough stuff, and I should be able to get plenty of scraps to melt together into a  _ working _ blast door.”

Misaki, struck by an idea, grins. “How about enough to build a motorbike?” she asks. Alan stops his observance, stares at her.

“Have I mentioned how terrifying you are?” Alan asks, seemingly idle curiosity hidden behind his quiet awe. Misaki grins at him, amused.

“No, but I could always do with a boost to my ego,” she teases, before twirling her baton in her hands. “I was just thinking about Tabuchi.” At Alan’s blank look, she elaborates gently, “The newest member of Neuron Tech. He’s a total motorhead - he and I talk bikes now and again. He was talking about how he’d love to make a motorbike that could run with a Legatus to power it. Only material I know that can channel that much Astral Energy is X-Baton and Legion Armor.” She tilts her head at him, and Alan rolls his eyes, shakes his head at her.

“That’s a  _ lot _ of material to work with,” he decides dubiously. “I mean,  _ damn _ . If you want to try for a bike I can see about getting extra scrap sent to Tabitha, but at least put in a requisition request.”

Misaki hums and smiles at him. “Yessir,” Misaki snaps a cheery salute, and Alan snorts at her with mild amusement, before going to join Max, bending the Captain’s ear quietly. Max leans down to match his height, nods understandingly as Alicia and Jin return from bug-combing.

“I didn’t know you did bug sweeps,” Misaki says to Alicia, and the woman pulls her hat off, fans her face. The tendrils of hair that frame her face seem a little wilder than before, and Misaki assumes that the sudden growth everyone was experiencing was the cause. Her Beast Legion nudges the back of a knee, looking for ear scritches that Misaki obliges immediately.

Alicia, fanning her face, teases her immediately, “Oh, did the Little Miss think I’m not smart enough?” She’s teasing, and Misaki pouts, puffs her cheeks out. Alicia laughs, pinches a cheek fondly until Misaki squeaks, lets the held air go. “Don’t worry - I’m not offended,” she chuckles at Misaki. “I’m no Jin, but his detection doesn’t work half as well as my girl does on buried bugs. There were a few dug into the walls and in pipes that aren’t easily detected by anything but Beast’s sensors.” Alicia leans down to scratch under a chin; gets a happy bark. “Plus, just gotta sweep in case there were any backdoors - that tip of yours for spotting them works wonders, by the way,” Alicia adds.

Misaki is about to nod, offer her polite acceptance when the woman slings an arm over her shoulder. She can’t help but stiffen in surprise, feeling Alicia by her side.

“Did you think about what I told you?” Alicia asks quietly. Misaki’s heart thuds against her chest, but she gives a small nod. “I know you don’t want to pursue anything now, and I get why,” Alicia adds the last part in an undertone, a worried Akira glancing at them from where he’s talking to Jin about his weapon. “But someone’s gotta keep an eye out for you and Jin, and I like how you two are. You guys are real - in a way a lot of people aren’t.”

Alicia pats Misaki’s shoulder, smiles down at her. Misaki tries not to sniffle, but does rub her eyes. Akira breaks off the conversation, scuttling over to provide a hug that she accepts without a care for looking tough. Jin, too, walks over and checks her over, giving Alicia a faint glare.

“Don’t worry - it’s just girl talk,” Alicia reassures both men, who look at her dubiously. “Promise you - nothing heavier.” She nudges Misaki, and the girl smiles sheepishly.

“It’s just girl talk,” Misaki agrees softly, plants a kiss against her brother’s temple, has to stretch to do so. She also brushes the back of Jin’s hand, and he catches her hand in his, squeezes in reassurance. He smiles at her warmly, pleasure on his face before he lets her go to step back towards a grouchy-looking Max and amused Alan. “Thanks,” Misaki whispers to her twin, who plants a kiss of his own against her temple, nuzzles her affectionately.

“Always, sis,” Akira smiles at his twin, squeezes her lovingly. “Now, what did  _ you  _ want to talk to me about?”

Misaki flinches a little, starts to ramble. “I was thinking about how you were going to practice the RAVEN Protocol. I mean, we’re keeping it from the Commander, which is great! Plus, you get to practice this on your own time, and you even get us to help!” She babbles, misses the look Akira gives her before he shakes her softly.

“You don’t like the Commander?” Akira asks, and Misaki’s mouth snaps shut. Akira knew he’d touched on a sensitive spot by the look on his face, and he makes to wave it off. Misaki clutching him makes him stop.

“I don’t like the way he looks at Daddy,” Misaki whispers the words, and Akira bristles in silent protectiveness. “He’s been looking at us like  _ property _ , Kira.” Akira hisses under his breath, presses a kiss to his sister’s head.

“I’m sorry sis,” he murmurs gently, quickly crushes her in a hug. Misaki squeaks in surprise, before cuddling against him. He’d gotten  _ strong _ so quickly. “For a sniper, you’d think I’d notice.” Akira ruffles her hair, pulls back. “So. Experiment?” He offers, and she grins at him, glad for his affectionate willingness to leave her be. Alan comes back then, and Akira blinks at the neatly-penned list.

“Wow. Someone thought this out already,” Akira chuckles, and Misaki peers over her twin’s shoulder. Alan had put a lot of different options in there, including testing range, ability, and if he could summon his Legion while the protocol was active. “You know, this is really detailed.”

Alan shrugs, a slight smile on his face. “It’s what I do as a reporting officer.”

The modest tone does nothing to hide Alan’s pleased blush, and Misaki wishes she dared to pat him on the head. He was like a puppy. An over-eager, really clever puppy.

“It saves us some time but  _ damn _ . It’s detailed.” Akira grins at Alan, before waving at Max and co. Their Captain trots over with an indulgent smile, and Akira waves the paper. “Sis and I are gonna get some practice in,” Akira says happily. Max gives them both indulgent smiles, ruffles the top of their heads affectionately.

“Alright - stay in sight though, you two,” Max says, turning back to his quiet conversation with Jin and Alicia. Akira peers around, before grinning and taking her hand, bounding off towards a clear platform. Misaki yelps, dragged along by the force of his enthusiasm, before laughing at him.

_ “Kiiiiira,” _ she wails at him, tries to stop him with her feet planted firmly against the ground. “You can’t just  _ drag _ me there!” Akira stops - pouts at her like a wounded kitten. Misaki’s hand reaches out, taps his face, and he pouts deeper. “No. We can walk together, silly duck.”

He gives another whine at her, but obediently slows down. She rolls her eyes at the staring quartet, and they all muffled sniggers at her and her silly brother. She allows Akira to walk them to the edge, and her Legion comes to her side without being asked, nuzzles the top of her head.

_ Misakiself? _ he coos, and Misaki smiles up at her partner.  _ Need help? _ He was particularly puppy-like today, and she chuckles up at him, nails scritching nicely behind his halo. Her Legion coos happily, nudges under her hand.

“Give me a launch, would you?” she asks kindly, sneaks her arm around her brother. Akira’s eyes narrow in suspicion.

“What are you -”

The rest of what he has to say is lost when her Sword yanks her across the gap, Misaki holding her brother tight to her chest. His words are lost in a shriek, and she laughs as they go flying across the gap, her grip on him keeping him from falling into the water below them.

“You -” Akira splutters furiously, makes Misaki giggle softly at him. “You’re incorrigible!” He all but shrieks, makes her properly laugh at his indignance. She plants a kiss on his cheek.

“Yet you love me,” she teases fondly, makes him splutter and whine at her. She lightly pats his cheek, and eventually, Akira gives a low whine.

“You’re just terrible,” Akira complains, before summoning his Arrow. His Arrow coos amusement, and he glares up at her. “Why didn’t you rescue me?” Akira whines at her, and Arrow chuckles at him, her noise bell-like.

_ Why would I? _ It sounded like Arrow was teasing poor little Akira, and Misaki snickers. Akira puffs his cheeks out, and Misaki claps her hand to either side of his face, the air rushing out in a squeak as she smooches his forehead. Her baby brother turns bright red, rubs at his forehead in pure embarrassment.

Akira was  _ so _ easy to tease.


	30. ❱Hayato❰

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Japanese 隼 (haya) meaning "falcon" and 人 (to) meaning "person". Other kanji combinations can also make up this name.  
An interlude on the fragment of Akira Howard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! Sorry about that - I've been pretty lackluster with the quarantine going on. I'm not going to be updating for a while after this since I'm running low on backup chapters, but once I have enough, I'll start my old publishing schedule.

_ Prime’s sister always looked so pale. Her smile is soft, brittle. He wonders, idly, if Misaki knows that he is not her beloved twin but an imposter. She doesn’t act like she does, and for that, he’s grateful. Her mouth presses against his cheek in fond affection. _

_ “Silly little brother,” she croons to him, fingers stroking down his hair as she tends to him in the aftermath of cleaning up the plaza. She’d done the hard work, run around and jumped around catwalks with an ease that he envied, even joined him in the gate to clean it all up. “You taxed yourself again, working so hard,” Misaki tells him, nails scratching over his scalp. She doesn’t stop until he’s completely relaxed, a puddle of goo and comfort. _

_ “Someone’s gotta be by your side,” he slurs slightly. She rolls her eyes at him fondly. _

_ “I’ve been a proper Legionis for six months, and you only  _ just _ got back into commission three  _ weeks _ ago. Don’t fuss over being as good as me. You’ll get there. We always did.” She tells him lovingly, strokes his hair down again. “Now, stop being such a silly bean and take a nap. The Commander’s going to give us a few days off. I’ve got a massage chair with your name on it,” she chuckles fondly. He smiles up at her, wraps his arms around her waist. _

_ Prime had the best big sister in the world, he thinks. He was just a clone of Prime, but he would make sure his sister never had to lose him again… _

* * *

Impatiently, he jangles his chain, and Prime lifts a hand, smiles down at the shimmering chain. “I think he’s getting impatient,” Akira jokes, and Misaki’s voice is a bright bubble of laughter, sweet as sugar. He basks in her warmth, greedy for it.

“He’s gonna get to breathe fresh air!” Misaki’s voice is full of love and life, not hollow and tired, and he melts into it like a kitten with that one perfect window sill in the cat sanctuary. “I’d be eager to get out of the Legatus if I was him, too.”

No, no, that wasn’t it at all! He rattles impatiently. He wants to see his beloved sister. Not the tired and hollow girl that had spent three weeks sneaking about in Zone 09 trying to find a cure for a body that did not exist on the words of a madwoman. He wants to see her from the  _ before. _ Before she was tired and empty and  _ hollow. _ He wants to know what she was like when she was  _ happy. _ Prime seems to catch some of his thoughts, and a careful pulse of warm affection ripples in his chain from Prime.

_ Don’t you worry, _ Prime murmurs.  _ She’s okay. Jin’s taking care of her, and she has us! _

Bubble bright happiness makes him smile in the depths of his chains. He adores her, like a proper brother should. Warmth blossoms from his heart, and he blinks, looks at Prime only briefly before seeing Misaki. She still looks tired - the past clings to her, but she’s happy, bright smiles and delight. She steps forward, wraps him in a tight hug, and he squeaks, flails. Prime’s grin is wide as the proverbial Chershire cat, and the boy reaches out to settle him.

“So!” Prime says with warm enthusiasm, “I have an important order of business.” He eyes his Prime in suspicion, as does Misaki. The boy brandishes a tiny notebook, flips it open.  _ “Names.” _ He declares solemnly. Misaki and he eye Prime. Look at each other.

They both start sniggering, and he looks indignant. “Wha- hey!” He complains, annoyed, but not truly hurt. “This is important! You deserve a name of your own!” Prime tells him, and he frowns slightly in response, not entirely sure.

How could someone who had failed their most beloved, most  _ cherished _ person in the whole world deserve the honor of a  _ name? _ Prime does not know their history. Prime does not know the secrets that lay sleeping within the depths of the RAVEN Protocol. But Prime looked at him and thought him  _ worthy. _ And he cherishes that.

“Thanks, Prime,” he says with a smile, and Misaki scoots herself over, gives him a quick little hug. He nearly melts on the spot, too happy with the sudden affection to notice how Prime’s eyes narrow slightly right away. Misaki immediately pounces on Prime right after, and he flails, too startled by her devious, immediate attack of affection against him to protest. She snatches the book away from him, clambering up into a piggy-back and making him snicker at his Prime.

“Oooh, these are some quality names,” Misaki says admiringly. “Take them from Daddy’s book of names on his desk at home?” She asks him, and Prime grins, hefts her higher.

“Those are the ones,” he confirms, and it aches in a good way to watch Prime interact with his sister. Prime catches some of his melancholy, sends a few warm jangles of affection his way. He manages a smile, warmed by his Prime’s consideration.

He wonders if the other RAVENs he used to work with most felt like that with him. Did they like him? Care about him? He never knew, in the end. His team had disappeared, and he had never learned what happened to them. He suspected he didn’t want to.

“How about Hayato?” Misaki suggests, pulling him from his melancholy, and for her, for his/Prime’s sister, he would agree to anything.

“Sounds perfect to me,” he agrees without even a second thought. No other name would suit him but one given to him by the center of Prime’s heart. Prime scowls at him fondly.

“I suggested three other names to you, and you didn’t even seem to hear me,” Prime complains in good cheer, a pout on his face. The newly named Hayato chuckles, a soft smile on his face. Prime’s pout deepens.

“I’m sorry, but your memories give me enough to go by. If I remember right, Misaki gets  _ vengeful _ with her tickling if you ignore her,” Hayato deadpans.

Misaki gapes at him, and Prime starts to snicker, quietly at first, and then more violently when Misaki wilts against his back.

“You two have the same sense of humor -  _ awful,” _ she scowls.

The training, once they actually got down to it, was simple. Misaki marks off lines in her IRIS, sketching a rough field out for her brother to test his skills, Akira following behind and curiously peering over her shoulder.

“What’s with all the padding sis?” Prime inquires, obviously intrigued, and Misaki smiles at her twin fondly. Hayato, strolling easily along behind them, is happy enough watching them interact.

“I’m just making this easier for everyone involved,” she explained. “By having guidelines and markers, we can establish what our boundaries are, how far you can be pushed and how much of your energy you need to send Hayato out. Maybe he absorbs Red Matter, maybe he doesn’t. We’ve got a list!” She waves Alan’s paper about happily, grins. Prime snorts at her enthusiasm.

Hayato’s mused, “Thank you. It’s sweet of you to do this for us,” has her beaming, and she scuttles over to kiss his cheek. He smiles sheepishly, shy and happy at her simple, open pleasure. Hayato waits with Prime, and he feels Prime’s hand gently grasp around his elbow. Obediently, he looks.

“There’s something you’re not saying,” Prime murmurs quietly, and he stiffens. “You look at my sister like Jin does sometimes - like you’ve seen horrible things happen to Misaki, and you want to take the whole world and keep it away from her before it hurts her again.”

Hayato flinches minutely. “It’s not my story to tell.” He hedges awkwardly, and Prime scours him from top to bottom. A hand lifts up, pats his head, and Hayato blinks up at Prime.

“I don’t think that’s the case,” he says softly, hugs him. In his shock, he doesn’t resist, melts into a little puddle at the feeling of care and affection from his Prime. “I’m all ears if you ever want to talk, okay? We both know my sister needs  _ lots _ of minders.” Prime grins wryly, and Hayato grins back in full agreement.

“That’s a thing we can both get behind,” Hayato says softly, reaches a hand up to squeeze Prime’s loose grip on his shoulder. “Now c’mon. She’s getting suspicious.” His eyes soften at Misaki’s curious look, and he waves.

He and Prime could do this.  _ Together. _

**Author's Note:**

> Also known as I JUST WANT MAX HOWARD TO LIVE GODDAMMIT. Written in part because this game is perfect for time travel, and I want to make the Neuron Team badass as a whole rather than leaving the twins to have to fix everyone's shit.
> 
> All Chapters updated with thanks to Iniora_Nackatori (they're a saint for putting up with me)
> 
> Other useful notes:  
Chapter/File names in 【this】 bracket style will represent Misaki's point of view.  
Chapter/File names in 〖this 〗 bracket style will represent Jin's point of view.


End file.
